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UFC 148 Results: Did the Event Leave Us Wanting More?

Last night, one of the biggest fights in UFC history took place when Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva threw down for the middleweight strap. The card had much anticipation, as it boasted fights that were sure to be crowd-pleasers.Let me tell you a coupl…

Let me tell you a couple things. I watched the pay-per-view. I had high expectations for the entire card. The last thing I will tell you is that I was less than impressed with last night’s fights.

If fighters got bonuses for go-to decisions, most of the fighters must have gotten a fat paycheck last night. Of the 11 bouts, eight went to the scorecards. Of the three finishes, one was due to an injury.

Don’t get me wrong, decisions can be entertaining. Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar and Dan Henderson-Mauricio Rua were amazing fights that went to decisions. But a majority of the fights that went to decision were pretty lackluster by my account.

These fighters need to realize something. Last night was one of the biggest events in history. When you have a spot on an event like that, you need to bring your A-game. What I saw last night was a lot of safe fights with competitors too scared to take a chance.

If that was their mentality, why are they even fighting for the UFC? The UFC likes fighters, and last night I saw a lot of guys avoiding finishes.

Not only that, but the judges were somewhat questionable last night. For example, one round Fabricio Camoes has Melvin Guillard mounted and dishing out some damage to “The Young Assassin.” It was the most significant happening of that round, but the judges still deemed that Guillard won a decision in a sweep. There is no way he won all three rounds, even though I still feel he won the fight.

There were other examples of rounds being given to fighters who didn’t earn them, but I don’t wish to rant on that much longer.

All in all, I don’t know why UFC 148 left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. I think that my expectations for the event were colossal to a point where anything would have been a letdown.

But this is why I say the cards everybody bashes are the best fight cards, while the ones with all the hype fail to live up to expectations.

UFC 147 got all sorts of heat for not having enough marquee fights. Hell, most of the prelims from UFC 148 could have made the UFC 147 main card.

The difference between the two fight cards is that UFC 147 delivered under scrutiny, and UFC 148 left us wanting more.

I can guarantee you that UFC on Fuel, which occurs next week, will provide better fights than UFC 148. All the potential UFC 148 had couldn’t protect itself from imploding.

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Chad Mendes vs. Cody McKenzie: Final Prediction

UFC 148 may have most of the attention on its main event and co-main event, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t other intriguing fights on the card. In fact, a featherweight bout between former lightweight Cody McKenzie and former title challenger Chad …

If you saw the weigh-in, you would have noticed that Mendes and McKenzie had a very intense stare down. After some trash talk and some head-to-head contact, the face off was over, but the lasting image would be the give-no-ground staredown the two shared.

When Mendes and McKenzie enter the cage tonight, there will be several factors that play into the fight.

In terms of striking, both men cannot be considered elite. Mendes has come a long way from the early days when he looked like he didn’t know what he was doing. He has power in his fists, but his ground striking is much better than his striking on the feet.

McKenzie is still pretty green on the feet. He would rather get into a submission war than throw hands, so the striking advantage has to go to Mendes.

In terms of wrestling and grappling, Mendes also has the advantage. He has the better takedowns, the heavier top game and all-around more skillful wrestling. While McKenzie has some slick jiu-jitsu, Mendes has stifled to jiu-jitsu guys such as Rani Yahya in the past.

McKenzie has one advantage in this match, which is submissions. His “McKenzitine” submission, a modified guillotine, has put away many opponents in his career, including UFC opponents Aaron Wilkinson and Marcus LeVesseur.

Mendes works with Team Alpha Male, whose signature submission is the guillotine. He will have this move well scouted, so I doubt it plays a factor tonight.

In the end, I see Mendes using his superior boxing to get a takedown. When he gets the fight to the ground, expect him to utilize ground-and-pound to try and earn a stoppage. This may open up a submission, which will ultimately get him the win.

Prediction: Chad Mendes def. Cody McKenzie via submission (rear naked choke)

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UFC 148: Ivan Menjivar vs Mike Easton Head-to-Toe Breakdown

The biggest rematch in UFC history takes place this weekend at UFC 148. This fight between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen has garnered much media attention, overshadowing almost every other fight on the card.Also gracing the main card is a bantamweigh…

Also gracing the main card is a bantamweight scrap between Ivan Menjivar and Mike Easton. Both are hard-nosed fighters who are aggressive and look to finish fights.

In addition to that, both men are undefeated thus far in the UFC, as Menjivar is 3-0 and Easton is 2-0.

Let’s break down this fight between two potential bantamweight contenders and take a look at the possible winner of this important bout.

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UFC 148: Why the Rematch Won’t Be as Good as the First Meeting

UFC 148 is right around the corner, which means the long-awaited rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen is in clear sight. This much-anticipated bout is one of the biggest rematches in UFC history, if not the biggest.The fight has much trash t…

The fight has much trash talk and plenty of fighting words to go around, which is greatly pumping this match up for fans. You know this fight is personal when Silva has snapped on conference calls, saying he is going to cause serious injury to Sonnen.

Although the rematch promises to be a great fight, I feel there is no way it can be as good as the original.

Don’t get me wrong, the fight is going to have excitement and breathtaking moments, but it cannot beat the original for several reasons.

The first reason is that the surprise factor of Sonnen will be gone. If he does in fact dominate the match with his takedowns and aggressive wrestling attack, we will not have the surprise we had at UFC 117. Not many gave Sonnen a chance at UFC 117, making the match crazier, as the brash American dominated for 20-plus minutes.

Now, people may say that if Silva finishes Sonnen early and dominates, that would be a surprise. On the contrary, in my view, as Silva has dominated everybody put in front of him. If he manhandled Sonnen, it wouldn’t be a shocker, thus again taking away from the surprise factor.

Also, the ending of the fight in the first meeting was a Hail Mary that shocked the world. The triangle choke-armbar combo that put Sonnen away came with Silva’s title retention dwindling away and was one of the craziest ways to end one of the craziest matches in UFC history.

No matter how the rematch ends, unless Sonnen brutally knocks out or submits Silva, the finish cannot match the first fight’s finish.

Now, I’m not trying to sound like a pessimist. I am absolutely pumped for this fight and will enjoy it however it goes (unless it turns into a Clay Guida versus Gray Maynard main event). This is just some food for thought and an observation.

I really hope the fight proves me wrong in turns into an all-time classic. Nevertheless, the electricity will be in the air come fight night, emotions will be running high and millions of MMA and non-MMA fans will watch in awe as two warriors of the Octagon will put their bodies on the line for our entertainment.

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UFC: Why The Ultimate Fighter Would Revive MMA in Japan

The Ultimate Fighter is set to make an aggressive expansion worldwide, and with that, several countries are in line to get their own version of the reality show.Following the great success that TUF: Brazil saw, the UFC is licking their chops at th…

The Ultimate Fighter is set to make an aggressive expansion worldwide, and with that, several countries are in line to get their own version of the reality show.

Following the great success that TUF: Brazil saw, the UFC is licking their chops at the possibility of at least five international versions of the show. This is a nice changeup, as many fans have grown tired of the stale product in the United States. To be honest, the show has sucked the country dry of its young talent on the show.

One version of the show that I think would be very beneficial to the sport is TUF: Japan. The sport has been slumping there for a while now, as far back as when Pride was bought by the UFC.

Arguably, the regional scene in Japan has been dead for a while, as big stars have not ventured into the country. Sure, the country is home to names like Shinya Aoki, but remember a time when names like Wanderlei Silva, Quinton Jackson, Dan Henderson and Fedor Emelianenko graced Japanese cards on the regular?

Dream tried to pick up the pieces that Pride left behind, but as of recently they had to merge with One FC to stay alive. One promises to be the next big thing in MMA, but it won’t be the next big thing in Japan. One FC is putting on cards in southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands, which does not include Japan.

Maybe in the future One will go to Japan, but for now, they haven’t made it there. That is where The Ultimate Fighter may come into play.

There is plenty of talent still in Japan, especially in the lower weight classes. Bantamweight and featherweight still need talent to fill out their divisions, and Japan could provide them with an influx of great fighters.

As for the dead scene in Japan, full-country exposure through a television deal could be the spark that reignites MMA in the land of the rising sun. There are plenty of fighters that Japanese fans can get behind to create a larger fanbase.

And just think about it, UFC 147 was the finale for TUF: Brazil. It gave the UFC an excuse to put on a card in Brazil, although they probably would have looked to do it anyway.

The UFC’s return to Japan earlier this year was incredibly successful and brought back the mystique of Japanese crowds in MMA.

Given the opportunity, a Japanese version of the reality show would be very popular and help bring back the strength of Japanese MMA. Japan has the ability to provide much talent to the UFC, but it all starts with TUF.

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10 Matches to Make in the UFC Flyweight Division

The UFC flyweight division is set to explode, pending the championship bout between Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez. Flyweights have already proven to be immensely exciting, which is causing many MMA fans to salivate at the possibilities. …

The UFC needs to continue to sign flyweights, so these matchups will include fighters not currently in the UFC. Here are 10 fights that should be made, with no fighter’s name being repeated.

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