UFC 175 Results: 3 Stars from the Pay-Per-View

UFC 175 headlined the biggest weekend of the year for MMA. It didn’t disappoint either, as fun fights and incredible finishes made for a great event.
In the main event, Chris Weidman defended his middleweight title against Lyoto Machida via unanimous d…

UFC 175 headlined the biggest weekend of the year for MMA. It didn’t disappoint either, as fun fights and incredible finishes made for a great event.

In the main event, Chris Weidman defended his middleweight title against Lyoto Machida via unanimous decision. It was a great effort that further exemplified his star power.

In the co-feature, Ronda Rousey made quick work of Alexis Davis, earning a sub-20-second knockout. It continued to show the evolution of Rousey and her continued place in the spotlight.

So, who were the three stars of UFC 175? Let’s take a look from the monumental event.

 

1. Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey doesn’t work by the hour, folks. She took what was supposed to be a credible contender in Alexis Davis, dropped her like a bad habit and finished her in 16 seconds.

The fight started with a wild exchange on the feet. At the end of a combination, Rousey connected with a right hand and proceeded to hit a giant throw on Davis.

She landed in a side headlock position. From there, she peppered Davis with nine quick punches that earned a stoppage, as the ref had seen enough and Davis was taking serious damage.

It continues to prove that Rousey is indeed the best woman in MMA today. She is a star and a savage whose performances are producing more and more violence.

 

2. Chris Weidman

Picking a winner between Chris Weidman and Lyoto Machida was tough. Machida is elusive and devastating, and Weidman has the style to give Machida problems.

Weidman showed off a rugged chin and continued improvements in his striking. He stood toe-to-toe with one of the best strikers in MMA to positive results.

When he took control of the center of the cage, he had Machida on his heels. He mixed in takedowns as well, which allowed him to keep Machida guessing.

The win continues to prove Weidman is legit. He is slowly creeping up pound-for-pound rankings and amassing a fantastic little resume.

 

3. Kevin Casey

Kevin Casey’s time on The Ultimate Fighter 17 was a bit underwhelming. He was a favorite from the time the cast was announced, but he failed to perform both in the house and at the finale, when he was bested by Josh Samman.

He has since reinvented himself with Resurrection Fighting Alliance. He won some impressive bouts there to earn his spot on the UFC roster back.

In his sophomore outing and UFC return fight, Casey drew Legacy FC champ Bubba Bush. That championship status meant nothing to Casey, as he dropped Bush and destroyed him with some incredible elbows.

It was a performance that brings Casey back to relevance and resurrects his career.

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UFC 175: Vitor Belfort Calls out Chris Weidman After Win

It didn’t take long after the judges announced Chris Weidman had retained his belt for Vitor Belfort to call out the champion.

Following his unanimous decision win over Lyoto Machida, Weidman was the target of a Belfort Twitter call out for a title sh…

It didn’t take long after the judges announced Chris Weidman had retained his belt for Vitor Belfort to call out the champion.

Following his unanimous decision win over Lyoto Machida, Weidman was the target of a Belfort Twitter call out for a title shot. If you remember, Belfort was supposed to be in the UFC 175 main event opposite Weidman, but he was flagged for high testosterone levels in a pre-fight screening and subsequently removed from the main event.

Belfort, who has challenged for the title in the past, has been on a tear as of late and has been disposing of fighters left and right. He is riding a three-fight win streak over the likes of Luke Rockhold, Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson. All of those wins are via knockout.

While Belfort‘s stake at a title shot is somewhat justifiable, his performance enhancement issues will always hold him back. It will be tough for him to get licensed, especially in Las Vegas where the UFC does a good portion of its pay-per-views.

Now that TRT has been outlawed in many places, Belfort cannot use the controversial treatments in his fights. He will have to fly alone without it, which we haven’t seen him do in a while.

However, Belfort is marketable. He is a former UFC champion and multiple-time headliner with great notoriety in the MMA community. He also puts on exciting, violent shows, something fans love to see.

So, what will happen? Will Belfort‘s call out lead to a title shot, or will his past demons come back to haunt him, holding him out of the big fight?

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UFC 175: 3 Fights for Chris Weidman to Take Next

Saturday night, Chris Weidman continued to stake his claim as one of the best fighters in the world. In an exciting five-round war, Weidman was able to hold off Lyoto Machida, via unanimous decision.
It was Weidman’s second title defense, with his firs…

Saturday night, Chris Weidman continued to stake his claim as one of the best fighters in the world. In an exciting five-round war, Weidman was able to hold off Lyoto Machida, via unanimous decision.

It was Weidman‘s second title defense, with his first being a rematch win over Anderson Silva. It has established Weidman as a star in the UFC and a guy who could potentially become the pound-for-pound king at some point.

So, who is next for the middleweight champ, whenever he returns? Let’s take a look at three matchups he should face next.

 

Vitor Belfort

Vitor Belfort is the obvious candidate to face Weidman next. He has been crushing the competition lately and is probably the highest ranked guy behind Anderson Silva, who Weidman has already beaten twice.

The big thing with Belfort is if he can stay clean and off performance enhancers. He is a risk if they announce him in a title bout and he fails a pre-fight drug test or gets flagged for elevated testosterone.

If he can stay away from that controversy, he is a great challenge for Weidman. He is a killer on the feet, a physical brute and a good ground fighter.

He could be the most marketable title fight for Weidman.

 

Ronaldo Souza-Gegard Mousasi winner

There is a huge middleweight showdown at UFC 176 between Ronaldo Souza and Gegard Mousasi. That fight could provide the winner to contend for Weidman‘s title.

Mousasi is a great striker with an underrated submission game. His weakness is wrestling, so his style may be rough to match up against Weidman with.

As for Souza, he has stuck out as one of the best middleweights in the world. His striking has vastly improved, and he still possesses one of the best submission grappling games around.

Either guy is a solid candidate to contend against Weidman, though Souza is the preferable choice.

 

Luke Rockhold

Luke Rockhold is really the dark horse candidate to get the next title shot. However, with his recent performances, it really would not be an outrage to give him a shot at Weidman.

It would be a marketable fight. The former Strikeforce champ versus the current UFC champion could be a platform to attract pay-per-view buys from casual fans.

He is also a tough matchup. He has good wrestling and is a great kickboxer, something that would make Weidman earn his pay.

He may be a fight off, but the fight game is all about timing.

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WSOF 11: Justin Gaethje Proves to Be Elite at 155

Saturday afternoon, Justin Gaethje retained his World Series of Fighting Lightweight Championship with a second-round TKO of one-armed phenom Nick Newell. It was a performance that continued to boost the stock of the WSOF star.
Gaethje pushed his recor…

Saturday afternoon, Justin Gaethje retained his World Series of Fighting Lightweight Championship with a second-round TKO of one-armed phenom Nick Newell. It was a performance that continued to boost the stock of the WSOF star.

Gaethje pushed his record to 12-0 with 10 knockouts. He is 5-0 with five knockouts in WSOF, including finishes of Newell, UFC vet Dan Lauzon and Strikeforce vet JZ Cavalcante. That is the type of resume that makes Gaethje elite at lightweight.

He has shown to be an excellent striker, using vicious kicks and meat-hook punches that aim for one thing: damage. Most fans don’t know this, but this striker also has a wrestling background that we rarely see, making him well-rounded.

He doesn’t like fighting the whole 15 minutes as well. He has only gone to a decision once in his career, against the ultra-tough Marcus Edwards. He has ended almost half of his fights in the first round, showing he gets to work quickly.

It’s not like he’s been fighting chumps either. From the get-go of his pro career, he has been facing tough competition. In fact, he beat Maximum and Titan Fighting Championship vet Kevin Croom in his pro debut. Impressive, to say the least.

Outside of Eddie Alvarez, Gaethje is the best lightweight not currently on the UFC roster. And, as more and more of his contracted fights pass, the closer he is to possibly getting inked by the world’s largest promotion.

With Alvarez tied up in Bellator, Gaethje is now the most attractive fighter on the market, assuming he’s not completely tied up in WSOF. If he’s eligible to be signed, he’s the best available fighter for the UFC to pick up.

His strength of schedule and impressive finishing rate make him arguably the most sought-after man in MMA. He’s the type of guy who would be a star in the UFC based on his fighting style and no-nonsense way in the cage.

He’s young too. That makes him the star of the future in the lightweight division. He’s only 25 years old and has improved in every fight he’s been in.

Where Gaethje goes next in WSOF, I don’t know. There aren’t a huge number of contenders lining up outside of maybe Melvin Guillard, who also won Saturday against Cavalcante. That would be the best litmus test for Gaethje as he continues his ascent up the lightweight world rankings.

World Series of Fighting is sitting on a star. He has the potential for great things in the future.

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TUF 19 Finale: Preliminary Card Predictions

The biggest weekend of the year for MMA is upon us, and quietly leading up the rear for UFC 175 is The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale on Sunday. Headlined by two former champions, the card will also have up-and-coming fighters as well as two men compe…

The biggest weekend of the year for MMA is upon us, and quietly leading up the rear for UFC 175 is The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale on Sunday. Headlined by two former champions, the card will also have up-and-coming fighters as well as two men competing for the six-figure UFC contract.

BJ Penn meets Frankie Edgar for a third time after a coaching stint on the reality show. Edgar took the first two bouts via decision—both times with the belt on the line and at 155 pounds. This time, they face off as featherweights.

Last weekend, I was just above the .500 mark. After a solid 4-2 start in New Zealand, I tapped the brakes a bit with a meager 2-3 record in San Antonio.

It’s time to bring my record back up. Here is a look at the preliminary card for The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale.

2014 Riley’s Record: 88-57

Last Event: 6-5 (UFC Fight Night 43/44)

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UFC 175: Preliminary Card Predictions

The biggest weekend of the year for MMA is upon us, and leading the way is UFC 175. Headlined by two championship fights, the event has a big feel to it and could go down as one of the great events in UFC history.
Chris Weidman defends his title agains…

The biggest weekend of the year for MMA is upon us, and leading the way is UFC 175. Headlined by two championship fights, the event has a big feel to it and could go down as one of the great events in UFC history.

Chris Weidman defends his title against Lyoto Machida, while Ronda Rousey defends her strap against Alexis Davis. Before those main features, though, we have a stacked preliminary card full of promising prospects and established vets.

Last weekend, I was just above the .500 mark. After a solid 4-2 start in New Zealand, I tapped the brakes a bit with a meager 2-3 record in San Antonio.

It’s time to bring my record back up. Here is a look at the preliminary card for UFC 175.

 

2014 Riley’s Record: 88-57

Last Event: 6-5 (UFC Fight Night 43/44)

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