Author: Riley Kontek

UFC on Fox 11 Adds 3 Fights, Including Nurmagomedov vs. Dos Anjos

It looks like the UFC’s trip to Orlando for UFC on Fox 11 is starting to fill out a bit, as the UFC announced three new matchups to the card, via MMA Fighting.
The card, which is headlined by a heavyweight top contender’s bout between Travis Browne and…

It looks like the UFC’s trip to Orlando for UFC on Fox 11 is starting to fill out a bit, as the UFC announced three new matchups to the card, via MMA Fighting.

The card, which is headlined by a heavyweight top contender’s bout between Travis Browne and Fabricio Werdum, also features a previously announced women’s bout between former title contenders Miesha Tate and Liz Carmouche, as well as a lightweight bout between Donald Cerrone and Edson Barboza.

The three bouts added include lightweight matchups between sixth-ranked Rafael dos Anjos and seventh-ranked Khabib Nurmagomedov; unranked Strikeforce vets Pat Healy and Jorge Masvidal; and a middleweight clash between 13th-ranked Brad Tavares and 14th-ranked Yoel Romero.

Obviously, a great amount of star power has been added to this card. Of the six fighters added to the event, four are ranked, showing that the UFC will be bringing some of its best fighters to Orlando.

The most notable fight is the bout between dos Anjos and Nurmagomedov.

Dos Anjos was originally supposed to fight at UFC 170 this month, but that fight was pulled when Rustam Khabilov suffered an injury. Instead, the Brazilian, riding an impressive five-fight win streak, will take on Nurmagomedov, a guy who has been having trouble finding fights. 

The undefeated Russian has run roughshod over the UFC competition, going 5-0 against the likes of Gleison Tibau, Abel Trujillo and Healy. One has to believe the winner of this fight is in prime position for a title shot against Anthony Pettis.

Healy and Masvidal will both look to be getting back in the win column in their bout.

Healy has fallen on hard times, losing two straight, as well as having a win turned into a no-contest against Jim Miller. He will need to use his wrestling against the striker Masvidal.

Masvidal opened up his career at 2-0 with the UFC, but he ran into Khabilov in his last fight and was defeated. His weakness is usually against wrestlers, though he showed improvement in a win over Michael Chiesa.

The Tavares-Romero matchup takes two winners from the UFC Fight Night in Atlanta and squares them off.

Tavares is 7-1 in the UFC and is riding a five-fight surge into this fight. His most recent outing saw him take a decision over Lorenz Larkin, but now, he takes on an Olympic wrestler. 

Romero has been devastating since entering the UFC, holding a 3-0 record. All three wins are by brutal knockout, including his last fight where he broke the jaw of Derek Brunson.

There will be more fights announced in the near future, so check back with Bleacher Report for more information on this card.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler III: Early Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Bellator is sitting on the most intriguing competitive rivalry in the sport of MMA right now in the form of Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler. The men have had two bouts which have been considered among the best fights of the year in 2011 and 2013.
Th…

Bellator is sitting on the most intriguing competitive rivalry in the sport of MMA right now in the form of Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler. The men have had two bouts which have been considered among the best fights of the year in 2011 and 2013.

The men have traded the title in splitting their current two-fight series. Chandler choked out Alvarez in their first meeting, effectively taking the belt off the seemingly invincible champ. Then, in their most recent scrap, Alvarez took a split decision to recapture the gold, taking the close fight and setting up this rubber match.

This third fight, if it’s anything like the first two bouts, has the chance to be an amazing scrap. Here is a head-to-toe breakdown of this third matchup which will decide the Bellator Lightweight Champion. 

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UFC 169 Results: Updating the Featherweight Rankings

UFC 169 saw a featherweight title defense in the co-main event, as champion Jose Aldo took on challenger Ricardo Lamas. It was an interesting matchup that people were curious to see.
When it was all said and done, Aldo cruised to a unanimous decision v…

UFC 169 saw a featherweight title defense in the co-main event, as champion Jose Aldo took on challenger Ricardo Lamas. It was an interesting matchup that people were curious to see.

When it was all said and done, Aldo cruised to a unanimous decision victory in a bout where he was never really in trouble. He leg kicked and pounded Lamas in convincing fashion, retaining his title in the process.

In the aftermath of that UFC 169 performance, let’s take a look at the top-10 featherweights in the UFC.

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UFC 169 Results: Updating the Bantamweight Rankings

UFC 169 featured a main event between the UFC Bantamweight Champion Renan Barao and Urijah Faber. It was a rematch from their UFC 149 fight in which Barao was the winner.
The result was the same in that Barao won, but this time he finished Faber in the…

UFC 169 featured a main event between the UFC Bantamweight Champion Renan Barao and Urijah Faber. It was a rematch from their UFC 149 fight in which Barao was the winner.

The result was the same in that Barao won, but this time he finished Faber in the first round with strikes. Early stoppage or not, it was a title defense that Barao can check off the list and a name he can add to his legacy.

In the aftermath of UFC 169, here are the bantamweight rankings.

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Ali Bagautinov vs. John Lineker: What We Learned from UFC 169 Fight

A pair of flyweight contenders met at UFC 169, when Russian Ali Bagautinov took on Brazilian John Lineker. Many thought the winner was the rightful title contender at 125 pounds.
After three grueling rounds of grappling and fighting a chess m…

A pair of flyweight contenders met at UFC 169, when Russian Ali Bagautinov took on Brazilian John Lineker. Many thought the winner was the rightful title contender at 125 pounds.

After three grueling rounds of grappling and fighting a chess match, the Russian came out on top via decision. It is a win that could lead him to an eventual title fight.

Here’s what we learned from this pivotal bout.

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

To be honest, nothing. This fight reversed the great excitement that Abel Trujillo and Jamie Varner brought to the cage.

So I don’t make this headline completely worthless, I’ll say we’ll remember that Lineker did not gas out despite the fact that he missed weight on his first try. One would assume that after having to make weight on a second attempt, his cardio would be hurt.

He didn’t show much Saturday night, but he didn’t gas out either. I guess that’s a tiny win to take out of this fight. 

 

What We Learned About Bagautinov

He is not ready for a title shot. Despite beating Lineker, he was not overly impressive and did not punish him for missing weight.

His wrestling is good, but he out-grappled a striker. If he did that against Demetrious Johnson, he would be outclassed by a better man.

 

What We Learned About Lineker

He needs to learn how to better cut weight. Oh wait, we already knew that? Then, he needs to tighten up his ground game.

He is a great striker, but his takedown defense is decent at best. Unless he is knocking dudes out, he is susceptible to getting exposed on the ground.

 

What’s Next for Bagautinov?

Because of the shallowness of the division, one would assume Johnson is next for Bagautinov. He is 3-0 with the UFC and can make a good claim to the UFC gold.

 

What’s Next for Lineker?

A trip to bantamweight would be ideal. Otherwise, a bout against the loser of Brad Pickett and Ian McCall could make for an interesting fight.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 169: Mir vs. Overeem Round-by-Round Recap and Analysis

A heavyweight bout is afoot with big implications, as Dutch striker and former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem takes on former UFC champion Frank Mir. It could be a win-or-go-home fight for both men.
Overeem is on a two-fight skid, both of which …

A heavyweight bout is afoot with big implications, as Dutch striker and former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem takes on former UFC champion Frank Mir. It could be a win-or-go-home fight for both men.

Overeem is on a two-fight skid, both of which came via brutal knockouts to Antonio Silva and Travis Browne. Mir is on a three-fight skid, falling via knockout to Junior dos Santos and Josh Barnett, while losing a decision to Daniel Cormier.

Who will come out on top in this crucial bout? Follow along live when the pay-per-view gets rolling tonight!

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