Author: Riley Kontek

First Ever Women’s Strawweight Bout Announced for UFC FN 45

Fans are patiently waiting for The Ultimate Fighter 20, which will feature an all-women’s cast of strawweights and will crown the first champion ever. However, the finale will not feature the first strawweight bout in UFC history, as that will go …

Fans are patiently waiting for The Ultimate Fighter 20, which will feature an all-women’s cast of strawweights and will crown the first champion ever. However, the finale will not feature the first strawweight bout in UFC history, as that will go down July 16 in Atlantic City.

Marc Raimondi of Fox Sports announced Wednesday afternoon that UFC Fight Night 45 will feature the first 115-pound bout between Brazilian Claudia Gadelha and Finland’s own Tina Lahdemaki. 

Gadelha, who was originally supposed to be on the TUF 20 cast, pulled out of the reality show after weight cut issues would become a recurring problem on the show. Instead, she was given a free pass to the company where she will now lead the charge into the promotion.

Gadelha, ranked number three in B/R’s WMMA rankings last month, is undefeated at 11-0. Training out of Nova Uniao, the Brazilian demolisher trains alongside Jose Aldo, Renan Barao and a murderer’s row of other training partners.

Plus, it’s not like Gadelha has been beating chumps. She has been fighting at a high level for years and has already earned wins over the likes of top Brazilian strawweight Kalindra Faria, current UFC employee Valerie Letourneau and Japanese legend Ayaka Hamasaki, her latest bout.

As for Lahdemaki, she makes a drop from 125 pounds to occupy one of the strawweight roster spots with the UFC. Like Gadelha, she is undefeated, though she is much more inexperienced at 5-0. That being said, she is currently ranked #11 in B/R’s WMMA rankings last month.

A grappler, Lahdemaki has finished three of her five fights, including her most recent outing against Spanish veteran Karla Benitez. She also owns a win over Swedish prospect Linn Wennergren, which has earned her some respect.

This fight definitely has an interesting matchup and a great weight on its shoulders as the first women’s bouts. Both women are great grapplers and should match up well in terms of size.

Gadelha is known for her strength and powerful strikes, which should be her great edge. However, fans will be surprised with the skill and grit of Lahdemaki, who is definitely the lesser known fighter here.

For more updates on the strawweight division and UFC FN 45, stay with Bleacher Report as the information becomes available. 

 

Fight Card

Lightweight Donald Cerrone Jim Miller
Flyweight John Lineker Alptekin Ozkilic
Welterweight Rick Story John Howard
Lightweight Gleison Tibau Pat Healy
Lightweight Edson Barboza Evan Dunham
Lightweight Justin Salas Joe Proctor
Bantamweight Aljamain Sterling Hugo Viana
Featherweight Jim Alers Lucas Martins
Bantamweight Leslie Smith Jessamyn Duke
Strawweight Claudia Gadelha Tina Lahdemaki

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Andrei Arlovski vs. Brendan Schaub: A Full Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC 174 marks the UFC’s return to pay-per-view this weekend. It also marks the return of a former UFC champion, one of the best heavyweights in MMA history.
Andrei Arlovski returns to the promotion after stints with Strikeforce and World Series of Figh…

UFC 174 marks the UFC’s return to pay-per-view this weekend. It also marks the return of a former UFC champion, one of the best heavyweights in MMA history.

Andrei Arlovski returns to the promotion after stints with Strikeforce and World Series of Fighting to take on Brendan Schaub. It is a fight that fans will be paying close attention to, as Arlovski is popular and Schaub is an ever-improving fighter.

How do these fighters match up? Let’s take a look at this fight from top to bottom. 

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UFC 174: 5 Reasons to Watch

UFC 174 marks the company’s return to pay-per-view this weekend on the back of a UFC title fight. Led by Demetrious Johnson and Ali Bagautinov, the show boasts a stacked card with stars from the top to the bottom of the bill.
There has been somewhat of…

UFC 174 marks the company’s return to pay-per-view this weekend on the back of a UFC title fight. Led by Demetrious Johnson and Ali Bagautinov, the show boasts a stacked card with stars from the top to the bottom of the bill.

There has been somewhat of a negative reaction to this pay-per-view, as there has been whining about a lack of star power. However, there is a championship bout, a potential top contender’s bout, a former UFC heavyweight champion’s return and many other guys in their respective title pictures.

So, do you need five reasons to watch this event? Here are five that should persuade you to check out the card this weekend.

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Diego Sanchez vs. Ross Pearson: What We Learned from Lightweight Tilt

Saturday night, UFC Fight Night 42 went down from Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the bouts on the main card featured tough lightweights Diego Sanchez and Ross Pearson going to war.
In a crazy turn of events, Sanchez took a questionable decision over P…

Saturday night, UFC Fight Night 42 went down from Albuquerque, New Mexico. One of the bouts on the main card featured tough lightweights Diego Sanchez and Ross Pearson going to war.

In a crazy turn of events, Sanchez took a questionable decision over Pearson. Despite a heavy consensus that Pearson won the fight 30-27, Sanchez won on two of the judges’ scorecards to earn another UFC victory.

Here is what we learned from their interesting affair.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

The decision. It was so awful that it was laughable.

Pearson landed more strikes. He was more accurate. He did more damage. He did almost everything better and more efficiently.

Never leave it in the hands of the judges. That’s what you should remember.

 

What We Learned About Pearson

He is really evolving as a fighter. He has stepped his game up in his last few fights, and it got overshadowed by an unjustified loss. 

He is a great striker who has rounded off his game nicely. He should be a marketable fighter in the U.K. if he isn’t already.

 

What We Learned About Sanchez

The car is running out of gas. Sanchez will always be a fan favorite and a lovable wild man, but he hasn’t looked great in years.

He has been gifted some decisions lately and hasn’t looked like the fighter he was earlier in his career. Perhaps he has come to the end of his road.

 

What’s Next for Pearson?

Pearson shouldn’t move down much here because he won that fight in theory. When the UFC returns to Japan, a bout opposite Japanese legend Takanori Gomi would be an awesome little scrap worth keeping an eye on.

 

What’s Next for Sanchez?

As Pearson shouldn’t move down from his loss, Sanchez shouldn’t move up much. Perhaps a bout against fellow longtime UFC vet Mark Bocek would provide a good measuring stick for him going forward.

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John Dodson vs. John Moraga: What We Learned from Flyweight Tilt

UFC Fight Night 42 was host to a ton of exciting contests Saturday night in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including a flyweight bout between John Moraga and John Dodson. It was a fight that many predicted to take home Fight of the Night honors.
In a rematch…

UFC Fight Night 42 was host to a ton of exciting contests Saturday night in Albuquerque, New Mexico, including a flyweight bout between John Moraga and John Dodson. It was a fight that many predicted to take home Fight of the Night honors.

In a rematch of a fight from their pre-UFC days, Dodson was able to connect on one big fury that put Moraga in a trance. In the process of throwing a head kick, Dodson busted up Moraga‘s nose with a knee that caused the fight to be stopped in between the second and third rounds. It was a shocking end to a lightning-filled fight.

Here is what we learned from this thrilling affair.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

Dodson’s kick-knee thing. Up until Dodson nailed Moraga with his knee on the head kick attempt, it was a pretty spotty fight where Dodson would occasionally blitz and score points.

The strike busted up Moraga‘s nose, which caused him to immediately grasp his nose. He was leaking like a faucet, which was a factor in the doctor recommending the fight get stopped.

 

What We Learned About Moraga

We didn’t learn a whole lot about Moraga in this fight. The big lesson was that Moraga is much better than he showed.

Moraga has shown in the past that he is one of the best in the world at 125 pounds. That said, Dodson can make any fighter look bad. We will learn a lot more about Moraga down the road when we see him again.

 

What We Learned About Dodson

News flash: Dodson is quick. We learned that even when it looks like Dodson isn’t at the top of his game, he can come out of nowhere and strike a kill shot.

Dodson has immense power for a 125-pounder. In fact, he hits like a 185-pounder. He is easily the second-best 125-pounder in the UFC behind the current UFC champ.

 

What’s Next for Moraga?

For Moraga, he needs to rebound from this devastating loss. Perhaps a meeting against the loser of Jussier da Silva-Zach Makovsky is what the doctor ordered. It would be against a fellow top-10 fighter coming off a loss.

 

What’s Next for Dodson?

He has to be in line for a title shot next. Whether it’s Demetrious Johnson or Ali Bagautinov, Dodson should be next in line.

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Invicta FC Signs Multi-Year Deal to Air on UFC Fight Pass

Fans have been anxiously waiting to find out where Invicta FC would land in terms of a network. Through all of the speculation, we finally have an answer.
The UFC announced Thursday night that Invicta FC will now air exclusively on UFC Fight Pass, the …

Fans have been anxiously waiting to find out where Invicta FC would land in terms of a network. Through all of the speculation, we finally have an answer.

The UFC announced Thursday night that Invicta FC will now air exclusively on UFC Fight Pass, the digital network launched by the company earlier this year. 

This is great news for fans, who pay $9.99 a month for exclusive content, including international events that only air on the network. Now, fans can catch the best of women’s MMA, including elite fighters and up-and-coming prospects.

UFC Fight Pass chief content officer Mashall Zelaznik commented on the new partnership.

UFC FIGHT PASS already has subscribers in over 155 countries, which is a huge platform the Invicta athletes. Invicta fighters are now sharing the same stage as elite UFC fighters like Alexander Gustafson, Conor McGregor, Cung Le and Michael Bisping. For any UFC fans that haven’t seen these women compete before – I guarantee they will be blown away when they see what Invicta is all about.

Not only will the archives of Invicta FC be available for viewing, but all new events also will air on the network for those who have subscribed. One also has to assume a card in the near future will be put on, as we are six months into the year and they have yet to put on a show.

Invicta is currently home to top female stars such as Cris “Cyborg” Justino, Michelle Waterson and Lauren Murphy, who will now gain even more exposure.

Previous to this, Invicta held free events online, as well as pay-per-views through major cable and satellite providers. That said, they had troubles with those providers, especially the online providers, so this will be a more consistent presentation.

More details are to be announced Friday, with a full fight card expected to be announced. Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for more details on this historic partnership.

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