The UFC returns to Asia this weekend, as The Ultimate Fighter: China finale takes place in Macau, China. The card will be headlined by South Korean welterweight Dong Hyun Kim and British stud John Hathaway.
The card is littered with Asian tal…
The UFC returns to Asia this weekend, as The Ultimate Fighter: China finale takes place in Macau, China. The card will be headlined by South Korean welterweight Dong Hyun Kim and British stud John Hathaway.
The card is littered with Asian talent, both established and up-and-coming. Most of the talent from Asia comes from Japan and South Korea, as seen by the fighters were on the UFC roster.
Let’s take a look at the Asian fighters in the UFC and establish the top 10.
Note: No Russian fighters will be included, as Russia is considered to be part of both Europe and Asia.
Last week, it looked like Gilbert Melendez was heading to Bellator. As of Sunday night, Melendez has been re-signed by the UFC and has a busy upcoming schedule.
In a tweet released by UFC president Dana White, it was revealed that not only is Melendez …
In a tweet released by UFC president Dana White, it was revealed that not only is Melendez staying with the UFC, but he will be coaching The Ultimate Fighter 20 against current UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis. The two will then meet for the lightweight championship when the show concludes, as the coaches usually do.
This is great news for the UFC and fans.
Last week, Melendez had agreed to terms with Bellator in a stunning move that would have taken a top-five lightweight from the UFC. The move was brushed off by Dana White in interviews following that announcement, but now it’s understood since the UFC has inked the now title challenger.
TUF 20 is set to feature an all-women cast of strawweights. The tournament will crown the first-ever champion in the newly created division that includes a cast with the likes of Carla Esparza, Joanne Calderwood, Felice Herrig and Tecia Torres.
Both Melendez and Pettis will likely bring great coaching staffs with them to the show. Melendez trains in San Francisco with the Skrap Pack and Cesar Gracie’s team, which could allow for not only Gracie to help with the team, but Nick and Nate Diaz, as well as Jake Shields.
As for Pettis, he trains with Roufusport in Milwaukee and has a number of guys he can bring in. From Duke Roufus to UFC fighters such as brother Sergio Pettis and Erik Koch, Pettis should be able to carry a strong staff as well.
The impending fight between Pettis and Melendez will also be huge. Melendez lost a controversial decision for the belt last year against Benson Henderson, but promptly won his sophomore UFC effort against Diego Sanchez to recover and reposition himself in the top end of the division.
As for Pettis, he solidified himself as the top lightweight in the world when he tapped out Henderson with a first-round armbar to take the belt. Since then, he has been on the mend with a knee injury waiting to return.
The show is set to start filming in May, with the fight obviously coming after the show. This is a huge development for the UFC as it gives fans a great fight and prevents a top fighter from walking away from the company.
Rory MacDonald got back in the win column at UFC 170 with a unanimous decision victory over Demian Maia. It reversed a loss in his previous outing to current title challenger Robbie Lawler.
It was a solid, retro performance from MacDonald. He survived …
Rory MacDonald got back in the win column at UFC 170 with a unanimous decision victory over Demian Maia. It reversed a loss in his previous outing to current title challenger Robbie Lawler.
It was a solid, retro performance from MacDonald. He survived an early onslaught from Maia on the ground to outstrike and sprawl his way to a clear-cut win.
MacDonald is surely one of the top welterweights the UFC has, and with Georges St. Pierre out of the way, he’s a threat to the championship. Here are three fights MacDonald could take in his next outing.
Jake Shields/Hector Lombard winner
UFC 171 is the sight of a pivotal bout between welterweight standouts Hector Lombard and Jake Shields. It represents a former Bellator champ and former Strikeforce champ, respectively, meeting in the cage to move closer to the title.
Shields also has a recent win over Maia, where he used his wrestling to beat the Brazilian. This was similar to MacDonald’s win, even though the Canadian used his wrestling defensively to beat Maia.
Lombard is a threat on the feet with his immense power. That’s what makes this matchup between Shields and Lombard intriguing.
Watching MacDonald against either man would be intriguing. It could also provide a top contender.
Dong Hyun Kim/John Hathaway winner
This weekend, two physical, large grinders will meet in China to be the outright dark horse at 170 pounds. Those two men are Dong Hyun Kim and John Hathaway.
Kim is a judo player with suffocating top control and a fancy resume to back it up. Hathaway is coming off a long layoff, but he’s been nearly flawless in his outings with the UFC.
Both men would be tough matchups for MacDonald. Kim and Hathaway would both threaten with takedowns in a bout against the Canadian while having their striking tested.
Matt Brown
This fight is a little less likely given the current rankings in the UFC, but Matt Brown’s recent performances could warrant him a fight like this.
Brown has been one of the best comeback stories in MMA history, going from a guy on the chopping block to a potential contender. His striking has been on point, as have his takedowns when he needs them.
MacDonald would be the guy who either feeds the feel-good story or stops it in its tracks. Either way, Brown-MacDonald could be a good fight in the near future.
UFC 170 was a historic night for many reasons. Ronda Rousey defended her title for the second time in the shortest duration between defenses, and Daniel Cormier marked his territory at 205 pounds Saturday night in Las Vegas.
That being said, the event …
UFC 170 was a historic night for many reasons. Ronda Rousey defended her title for the second time in the shortest duration between defenses, and Daniel Cormier marked his territory at 205 pounds Saturday night in Las Vegas.
That being said, the event was also important because it was full of debuting fighters. Some of these guys are top prospects in the sport with the potential to be company staples and future contenders.
Let’s take a look at each debuting fighter and grade their respective performance at UFC 170.
YosdenisCedeno
YosdenisCedeno came out on the losing end of the opening bout on the card against Ernest Chavez. For the most part, Cedeno looked like the bright lights were too much for him.
Early on, he showed great power and movement. In fact, he threw heat on every strike he threw but was exposed in one major aspect of the game.
He struggled to defend Chavez’s takedowns and ground game. He looked like a novice on the ground, and that was only against a purple belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Imagine him against a black belt.
The only saving grace for Cedeno was he lost a split decision instead of a full-out unanimous verdict. Either way, his performance was subpar.
Grade: D
Ernest Chavez
While Cedeno took the loss, Chavez took the win. It really wasn’t the most impressive win, though.
Chavez was tentative and decent at best on the feet. The only place he really shined was on the ground, where he only looked great because Cedeno was such a novice.
In reality, he won’t be that dominant on the ground against most guys in the lightweight division. Although he earned the win, he has got lots to work on when he gets back in the gym.
Grade: C
Aljamain Sterling
Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg made comparisons between newcomer Aljamain Sterling and UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. This was because they both have great wrestling, athleticism and unorthodox striking methods.
To be honest, that was a solid comparison if you look at Jones’ early work in the UFC and Sterling’s performance Saturday night.
Sterling took on a gamer in Cody Gibson, who gave Sterling all he could handle. However, Sterling’s strength, wrestling and quickness were too much.
Everything Sterling did looked competent. With Matt Serra and Ray Longo as his trainers and corner men, the future is bright for this undefeated bantamweight.
Grade: A-
Cody Gibson
In defeat, Gibson actually raised his stock as a fighter. He showed grit, determination and a will to win all the way until the final bell.
His wrestling looked to be sharp Saturday night, especially because he was grappling with a very good wrestler in Sterling. Some of the exchanges even saw Gibson get the upper hand.
Gibson is a bright prospect in a division dying for new stars. He and Sterling could be two new faces who bolster this shallow division.
Grade: B
Pedro Munhoz
To be fair, Pedro Munhoz was thrown in the deep end on short notice and wasn’t expected to win his fight with Raphael Assuncao. All that considered mixed with the fact he wasn’t finished by Assuncao, and Munhoz did a fine job.
Munhoz definitely needs to improve his striking, specifically with his hands. He showed some nice kicks, but if he can’t string combos with his hands, it will be tougher for him to secure the takedown so he can work his great grappling.
He will need a rebound fight to really give him a litmus test. He was one of the top bantamweight prospects coming into this fight and was really shown that he is not quite ready for top-flight competition.
Grade: C
Patrick Cummins
Patrick Cummins did one thing great for UFC 170: He sold the fight.
When it came time to actually walk the walk, he was quickly dispatched. However, despite all the criticism hurled his way, Cummins took on one of the best fighters in the world on 10 days’ notice in the co-main event of a pay-per-view. That must be admired.
In my opinion, Cummins is still one of the best prospects 205 has to offer. The problem was, like with Munhoz, you can’t take a newcomer and put him against one of the best fighters in the division.
Let’s give Cummins a mulligan. Next time out will really be the time we can judge Cummins on his skills as a mixed martial artist.
In the aftermath of UFC 170, the biggest question coming out of the event was an obvious one: Who should be next opponent for champion Ronda Rousey? The answer is a lot more simple than people are leading on.
There are four names that have floated arou…
In the aftermath of UFC 170, the biggest question coming out of the event was an obvious one: Who should be next opponent for champion Ronda Rousey? The answer is a lot more simple than people are leading on.
There are four names that have floated around since Rousey finished Sara McMann with a first-round liver shot. Those four women are current Invicta featherweight champion Cris “Cyborg” Justino, boxing champion Holly Holm, Cat Zingano and Alexis Davis.
Of those four names, there is really only one option for Rousey going forward. Three of the women make no sense at this point, which we will dive into right now.
The most obvious option in a lot of people’s minds is Cyborg, who many think is the best female fighter in the world. Everyone thinks this will be the biggest money-making fight for the women, which is likely very true.
That being said, this is not the right fight to make at the moment.
The big problem with booking Cyborg and Rousey is that we don’t know if Cyborg can make weight. Dana Whiteeven said, per MMA Fighting, he’s in no rush to make that fight and that he and the UFC would “see what happens” if Cyborg can make 135 pounds a couple times.
This may outrage fans, but look at it from a business standpoint. Cyborg may just want to fight Rousey just to fight Rousey. Will she really stick around and hold the belt if she does beat Rousey, or will she scurry back to 145 pounds, thus making the UFC belt useless?
Not only that, but White has a point in her making weight a couple times. If Cyborg-Rousey was made and on the day of weigh-ins Cyborg came in overweight, that fight would be worthless. Or, in the process of cutting weight, Cyborg could be hospitalized and kill the main event of a card.
There is a big risk on Cyborg. So, forcing her make weight a couple times is indeed smart. She should not be next for Rousey.
People have thrown Holly Holm in the mix, despite the fact she hasn’t taken a bout with the UFC yet. Not only that, but she isn’t signed to the UFC.
Holm would definitely represent the best striker Rousey has ever faced, but jumping Holm in line over other women who have already established themselves in the UFC would be wrong. Let Holm build herself up so that when she does get her title shot, she actually has the MMA credentials to warrant a shot at Rousey.
That leaves us with two women: Zingano and Davis.
The reason you have to go with Davis over Zingano is because of the circumstances surrounding Zingano‘s life right now.
Zingano was the outright top contender until she hurt her knee and was shelved for an extended period of time. Not only that, but just when it looked like she was ready to get back into training, tragedy struck in the form of her husband, Mauricio Zingano, passing away.
There is no way she is ready to get back into the cage based on the injury and personal tragedy. We don’t know how long she’ll be out.
That’s where Davis comes in. She is undoubtedly the next person in line for Rousey.
Davis is 3-0 in the UFC and beat Jessica Eye on the same night that Rousey retained against McMann. Davis has the most wins of all the female contenders in the UFC, so her getting the title shot is simple logic.
Although the biggest money maker would definitely be Rousey-Cyborg, and the promised bout we had was Rousey-Zingano, Alexis Davis should be the next person to fight Ronda Rousey. It is a logical matchup that takes a grappler and puts her in the cage with another grappler.
We will see who the UFC actually goes with in the coming months.
UFC 170 was a big night for women’s MMA, as two fights in the women’s bantamweight division graced the card. The big one headlined the whole card, as Ronda Rousey defended her title against Sara McMann.
In a turn of events that was not foreseen coming …
UFC 170 was a big night for women’s MMA, as two fights in the women’s bantamweight division graced the card. The big one headlined the whole card, as Ronda Rousey defended her title against Sara McMann.
In a turn of events that was not foreseen coming into this bout, Rousey beat McMann not with her patented armbar but with a crippling knee to the liver. It was a controversial stoppage in that it may have been too quick, but history now shows that Rousey won via TKO.
In the aftermath of this historic event, here are the updated women’s bantamweight rankings in the UFC.
Last week, it looked like