Author: Riley Kontek

Top Flyweights Josh Sampo, Ryan Benoit Meet at TUF 18 Finale

The UFC continues to bolster its flyweight division with top-level talent, as The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale plays host to two newcomers at 125.
It was announced that Josh Sampo (10-2) and Ryan Benoit (7-2) have signed with the company and wi…

The UFC continues to bolster its flyweight division with top-level talent, as The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale plays host to two newcomers at 125.

It was announced that Josh Sampo (10-2) and Ryan Benoit (7-2) have signed with the company and will be fighting on the undercard of the upcoming TUF Finale. That card, of course, takes place on November 30 from Las Vegas and will be headlined by a rubber match between Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz.

Both Benoit and Sampo are top-level fighters who will greatly bolster the 125-pound division. Sampo has spent his recent time as champion in the CFA organization in Florida, while Benoit has been a veteran of the Legacy FC promotion in Texas.

Sampo is a collegiate wrestler training out of St. Charles MMA in Missouri with fellow flyweight and prospective UFC fighter Alp Ozkilic. He has burst on the scene as of late, winning the CFA Flyweight Championship in the process.

The ground fighters resume includes wins over Olympic medalist and Bellator vet Alexis Vila, UFC and WEC vet Antonio Banuelos and respected striker Sam Thao. Five of his 10 career wins come by way of tapout.

Benoit is a striker who has added a nice ground game to his arsenal. He has a wrestling background, but as of late has shown off fast, powerful hands that have put down several opponents.

He is a finisher himself, as “Baby Face” has put down all of his opponents. Six of those seven finishes come by way of stoppage due to strikes.

This will be a very interesting fight, as Sampo is a grappler and Benoit is more of a striker. This will be just Benoit’s second outing at 125, as he resided in the bantamweight division previously.

If Sampo gets a takedown, which he will look for early and often, Benoit could be in a world of trouble. Sampo‘s top game is suffocating and his submission game is fierce.

However, Benoit does have solid takedown defense and dangerous hands. He has the ability to put anybody out if he connects, so obviously he wants to keep this bout vertical. 

For more updates and news, stick with Bleacher Report.

 

Follow me on Twitter for MMA news and other random thoughts (@RileyKontekMMA). Or don’t that’s cool too.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

10 Non-UFC Fights to See Before the End of the Year

The UFC has a very busy schedule to close out 2013, but so does the rest of the MMA world. Between World Series of Fighting, Invicta, Cage Warriors and Legacy FC, just to name a few, there is no shortage of action in the next month and a half.
Potentia…

The UFC has a very busy schedule to close out 2013, but so does the rest of the MMA world. Between World Series of Fighting, Invicta, Cage Warriors and Legacy FC, just to name a few, there is no shortage of action in the next month and a half.

Potential UFC employees, ex-UFC participants and top prospects are set to do battle and make their mark in this sport. If you are like me, and some other people, these non-UFC cards always deliver and often times have just as much entertainment value, if not more, than UFC events.

With that, let’s look at 10 fights outside the world’s biggest MMA promotion that you need to see before 2013 ends.

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The Ultimate Fighter China: Can It Move the Needle in This Critical Market?

It’s official: The UFC’s foray into China looks to come full force.
The UFC is looking to ignite a movement of MMA in China, specifically a UFC movement. It is a market that has over one billion people, which has Dana White and company salivating at th…

It’s official: The UFC’s foray into China looks to come full force.

The UFC is looking to ignite a movement of MMA in China, specifically a UFC movement. It is a market that has over one billion people, which has Dana White and company salivating at the thought of new, high-profit possibilities.

The cast and coaches for The Ultimate Fighter China have been revealed. Cung Le is a mentoring coach to Chinese mixed martial artists Tiequan Zhang and Ao Hailin. This is great, as Le is a martial arts hero in China and could draw big ratings.

But can this long-running reality show move the needle in the critical market of China?

What TUF 1 did for the United States, and the globe for that matter, could hypothetically happen here. The UFC has a deal with a broadcast affiliate in China that reaches 830 million people, which leaves the potential for massive ratings.

However, the big flaw of this season is that the real standout talent in China, of which there is currently not much, will not be participating on the show. Many top names such as Guan Wang and Xian Ji are currently under contract with respectable promotions like RUFF and could not make the show (or would not).

These guys are already making better money than a guy who competes on the reality show. Sure, a couple of these guys could end up being diamonds in the rough, but will there really be staying power for them in the biggest, most talent-filled company in the world?

Obviously, the big thing with this show is just exposing the country to the UFC and getting them to embrace the sport and company. That is smart, and whether or not there is an outstanding star that comes from the show, the prospect of an exploding business in a potential hotbed market is worth the risk.

Of course, being skeptical of the cast is to be expected, but there could be one or two guys who end up getting a decent stay with the company. Though most guys have no pro fights recorded or even a Sherdog file, guys like Wang Sai, Jianping Yang and Lipeng Zhang are experienced and could really benefit from working with a martial arts mind like Cung Le.

It’s going to be an interesting experiment. One has to believe this is a low-risk, high-reward situation for the UFC, as even if they get 1 percent of the Chinese viewing capacity of 830 million people, they will still be consistently pulling in over eight million viewers. 

That ain’t bad, if you ask me.

 

Follow me on Twitter for MMA news and other random thoughts (@RileyKontekMMA). Or don’t, that’s cool too.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale: Early Preview and Predictions

This groundbreaking season of The Ultimate Fighter is coming to a close soon, officially ending the first season to include female fighters. It has been a success, as the women have stolen the show when it comes to fight time.
Headlining are …

This groundbreaking season of The Ultimate Fighter is coming to a close soon, officially ending the first season to include female fighters. It has been a success, as the women have stolen the show when it comes to fight time.

Headlining are lightweights Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz, who have met in the past. This fight replaces the former main event of Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez, which was moved to UFC on Fox 9 when Anthony Pettis got injured.

We are still a while out, but let’s take an early peek at the fights on the card and speculate about them.

 

Gray Maynard vs. Nate Diaz

Meeting for the third time in their careers are Gray Maynard and Nate Diaz, who take an unofficial rubber match against each other. It is a matchup of power striking wrestler versus technical boxing grappler.

The two first met on the fifth season of The Ultimate Fighter, and Diaz tapped out Maynard with a guillotine choke. However, the two would rematch in a legit pro fight that actually counts on their record, and Maynard scored a split decision.

Maynard has lost two of his last three, albeit to top dogs TJ Grant and Frankie Edgar. He is always one punch away from winning, as he has extremely powerful hands.

Diaz is 0-2 in his last two, with one fight being a title loss to Benson Henderson. His latest outing saw him get drubbed by Josh Thomson, who broke through his seemingly granite chin.

This time around, I like Maynard. His wrestling is superior, and his power shots will wow the judges en route to a decision.

Prediction: Maynard def. Diaz via decision

 

Rani Yahya vs. Tom Niinimaki

Newcomer and Finnish prospect Tom Niinimaki finally enters the UFC, but he has a tough task in front of him in the form of UFC and WEC veteran Rani Yahya.

Niinimaki is really getting thrown into the deep end for his debut. He is talented and has potential, but he is taking on a jiu-jitsu ace who taps out most of his adversaries.

Niinimaki is going to show signs of promise, but expect the Brazilian to get the better of him.

Prediction: Yahya def. Niinimaki via submission

 

Sean Spencer vs. Drew Dober

TUF 15 castoff Drew Dober gets the call on late notice to fight up a weight class, and in his way is two-fight UFC vet Sean Spencer.

Spencer is a power wrestler and one hell of an athlete. He is vastly underrated and has the all-around skills to be a solid UFC midcarder for some time.

Dober, who is usually a lightweight, is coming into this fight with a four-fight win streak, including a win over UFC vet TJ O’Brien. Most of his wins are via submission, but the ground-and-pound fighter has won at least three of those submissions from taps to strikes.

Dober has a chance to be a good lightweight, but he is outsized by Spencer and giving up some athleticism. Spencer should notch the win and send Dober down to 155.

Prediction: Spencer def. Dober via decision

 

Akira Corassani vs. Maximo Blanco

A great matchup at 145 is afoot, as Akira Corassani meets Strikeforce vet Maximo Blanco. It could be a Fight of the Night contender.

Both men are brawlers with good power in their strikes. Blanco has good wrestling, though, which he should use to try to ground the Swede.

Corassani has improved as a fighter but has been knocked out in all three losses. If he gets grounded by the Venezuelan, he could be in for a long (or short) night.

Prediction: Blanco def. Corassani via TKO

 

Jared Rosholt vs. Walter Harris

The UFC has brought in two big guns and solid prospects, as Jared Rosholt and Walter Harris will square off in their respective debuts. Both men will try to show that the future is bright in the heavyweight division.

Rosholt is the brother of UFC veteran Jake Rosholt, and he possesses a decorated college wrestling background. He is quick and athletic for a guy his size and possesses Johny Hendricks-like power in his punching.

Harris is another large, athletic specimen with scary power. All four of his wins have come in the first round, with the longest fight lasting just one minute, 54 seconds.

Harris looks like an exciting up-and-comer, but Rosholt‘s wrestling is going to be the X-factor here. 

Prediction: Rosholt def. Harris via submission

 

TUF 18 Matchups

None of the fights have been announced from the show, as it hasn’t ended yet, but let’s do some fantasy matchups for each bout.

Right now, I have Chris Holdsworth taking on Davey Grant in the finale, though the next episode indicates that may not happen. For the women’s side of the bracket, I have Julianna Pena taking on Jessica Rakoczy for the finals.

As for the other matchups of people who didn’t make the final, it appears everyone will likely get a shot in the UFC—other than Cody Bollinger, of course.

Although I’d like to see the two biggest women in Jessamyn Duke and Peggy Morgan fight, they are on the same team, and I’ll keep this Team Rousey vs. Team Tate. So, I would put Duke against Sarah Moras and Morgan against Roxanne Modafferi.

That would leave Shayna Baszler to fight Raquel Pennington, even though she could be in the finals. (I am predicting Rakoczy.)

As for the men, I’d match up Chris Beal and Louis Fisette, as well as Josh Hill and Anthony Gutierrez. I would then bring back Tim Gorman, who was injured and kicked off the show, to face Michael Wootten.

What do you think of the matchups? Comment below!

 

Follow me on Twitter for MMA news and other random thoughts (@RileyKontekMMA). Or don’t that’s cool too.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 167: Ranking the Main Card Fights

The 20th anniversary of the UFC is upon us, and the world’s largest MMA promotion has put on a doozy of a card. Between a welterweight championship bout, promising prospects and guaranteed great fights, UFC 167 should hit on all cylinders.
The card wil…

The 20th anniversary of the UFC is upon us, and the world’s largest MMA promotion has put on a doozy of a card. Between a welterweight championship bout, promising prospects and guaranteed great fights, UFC 167 should hit on all cylinders.

The card will of course see Georges St-Pierre take on Johny Hendricks in the 170-pound championship fight. St-Pierre has been unbeatable in recent years due to his wrestling and relentless jab, but will look to avoid the huge left hand of Oklahoma State wrestling alum Hendricks.

The main card has five fights featuring future and former title challengers. Let’s take a look at and rank the fights on this pay-per-view card. 

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Ben Askren Release: Why the UFC Shouldn’t Sign Former Bellator Champ… Yet

It seemed like the writing was on the wall when Bjorn Rebney was allowing Ben Askren to entertain offers from the UFC. Now it’s official: Ben Askren has been released.
The Bellator welterweight champ gets his walking papers after his contract expired a…

It seemed like the writing was on the wall when Bjorn Rebney was allowing Ben Askren to entertain offers from the UFC. Now it’s official: Ben Askren has been released.

The Bellator welterweight champ gets his walking papers after his contract expired and Rebney made it known he’d let him walk.

With that, likely one of the biggest free agents has hit the open market. Where does he go from here? In my opinion, and likely the opinion of many others, it should not be the UFC, at least not yet.

The reasoning behind this is simple. He is not exciting, he is not marketable and I am sure he would require a decent-sized contract at the very least.

Let me start off by saying that Askren, while one-dimensional (as Rebney pointed out), is very good at that one thing. He is an incredibly athletic wrestler who snags the takedown almost on demand.

However, once he gets somebody to the ground, it becomes a lay fest. He rarely looks to pass, his ground-and-pound isn’t intimidating and his submission prowess has yet to really be displayed.

The UFC has a number of fighters like this under contract and they tread water immediately. Sure, Askren is probably better, but we are looking to make future, marketable champions who have the potential for staying power. I don’t see that in Askren.

Imagine if Askren did get a title fight. Do you think many people would be willing to shell out around $50 to see him headline a pay-per-view, whether it be against Georges St. Pierre, Johny Hendricks or whoever is champion at the time?

I know I wouldn’t. In fact, I would put the $50 that I would have spent on the pay-per-view down on a bet that says it would be a box office flop.

Plus, in return for that, he would likely have a decent-sized to hefty contract. That is not something, if I were Dana White, I would give to a guy who isn’t worth the value. He has likely earned the right for a good amount of money with his track record, but in the scheme of things, it’s not an amount of money the UFC should invest.

Now, I am not saying the UFC should never get on the Ben Askren train, but I would let him do some work in other promotions first to prove he can at least show a smidgen of excitement. Sure, Askren is a great heel, but this isn’t pro wrestling, and fans like to see good, exciting fights. They don’t like watching wrestling matches.

Bellator has become a storage locker for UFC castoff talent. The UFC should try to avoid doing the same with Bellator fighters, even though Askren‘s track record is better than most of the UFC castoffs who head to Bellator. Plus, the UFC welterweight division is already littered with wrestlers, so Askren would just be adding on to that high number.

Until Askren shows signs of all-around improvement or more impressive finishing acumen, I say let him wander the lower shows for a tad. If he continues to win, beat credible opponents and show a tinge more of excitement, I say welcome him aboard.

Right now just isn’t the right time.

 

Follow me on Twitter for MMA news and other random thoughts (@RileyKontekMMA). Or don’t that’s cool too.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com