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Brock Lesnar: Why He Won’t Make It out of First Round at UFC 141

You have to admire the passion Brock Lesnar has for mixed martial arts.He’s battled back from a brutal defeat to Cain Velasquez in October 2010, surgery shortly thereafter and two setbacks due to diverticulitis.But Lesnar’s headline bout against kickbo…

You have to admire the passion Brock Lesnar has for mixed martial arts.

He’s battled back from a brutal defeat to Cain Velasquez in October 2010, surgery shortly thereafter and two setbacks due to diverticulitis.

But Lesnar‘s headline bout against kickboxing powerhouse Alistair Overeem on Friday night at UFC 141 won’t end well for him. In fact, it won’t last past the first round.

Lesnar is not only rusty; his fights in 2010 showed that he does not handle heavy strikers well at this point in his career, being unable to cover up sufficiently or counter effectively. On top of that, Overeem hasn’t been nicknamed “Demolition Man” for nothing. Three of his last four victories have come via knockout.

It’s not like Lesnar doesn’t have a chance in this bout. His sheer size and strength, as well as his exceptional wrestling skills, always make him a threat.

But if Lesnar can’t avoid Overeem’s power shots, he’s not going to have a chance to take Overeem to the mat; he’ll be on the mat himself.

Against a striker like Overeem, you really have to be careful, and his kickboxing can be absolutely devastating for opponents. Lesnar is simply not the type of fighter at this stage in his career to be able to steer clear of Overeem’s barrages.

In reality, I am hoping that Lesnar wins this fight. I admire him for his dedication to the sport and insistence that he won’t go back to the WWE. There is no question where Lesnar’s heart lies, and you have to respect that.

But, sadly, Overeem would have to come into the fight severely unprepared and unfocused for Lesnar to win this fight.

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UFC 140 Results: Tito Ortiz Doesn’t Deserve Another Fight After Loss to Nogueira

After his loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on Saturday night, Tito Ortiz has one more fight left on his contract.The question is, should UFC president Dana White allow him to fight again before he probably retires?I’ll say this: Ortiz had fought much b…

After his loss to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira on Saturday night, Tito Ortiz has one more fight left on his contract.

The question is, should UFC president Dana White allow him to fight again before he probably retires?

I’ll say this: Ortiz had fought much better in his last two fights after convincing White to give him another shot. He shocked Ryan Bader in UFC 132 and fought well against Rashad Evans in UFC 133.

But, the reality is, after losing via TKO in the first round, Ortiz has once again proven that he isn’t the same as he once was.

Ortiz won 15 of his first 19 UFC fights, but he’s won once in his last eight fights. At some point, you have to say enough is enough. Ortiz has honestly been given way too long a leash. You win once in eight fights, it’s time to call it what it is: the end of a career.

I don’t doubt that White would give Ortiz one more fight based on his legacy in the past, but I don’t think he should. You start giving preference to fighters, you lose the competitiveness that has made the UFC so exciting to watch.

The end of Ortiz’s fight on Saturday against Nogueira was hard to watch. He failed to cover up at the end, and was the victim of several big blows while he simply tried to hold out until the end of the first round.

Ortiz deserves a lot of respect for what he did early in his career, and he will get that respect from the majority of the MMA community.

But he doesn’t look like Tito Ortiz anymore; he looks like a fighter who is trying to make up for his fall with heart. It’s respectable, but just because you have heart doesn’t mean you’re a good MMA fighter.

Ortiz needs to take a break and think about if he is deadening his legacy.

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UFC 139 Results: Michael McDonald Makes Aggressive Alex Soto Pay

It’s good to be aggressive in the UFC.If you aren’t, you’re not going to last very long in such a brutal sport.But Alex Soto, in his fight on Saturday against Michael McDonald, found out why being too aggressive can also lead to your downfall.Soto had …

It’s good to be aggressive in the UFC.

If you aren’t, you’re not going to last very long in such a brutal sport.

But Alex Soto, in his fight on Saturday against Michael McDonald, found out why being too aggressive can also lead to your downfall.

Soto had reason to be pumped for his fight with McDonald in UFC 139—it was his first career UFC fight, and he only received the opportunity as a late replacement for Johnny Eduardo.

Soto blitzed hard from the beginning, but he was reckless. You had the feeling that McDonald (14-1, 3-0 UFC) was going to hit him with a hard counter-punch before long.

And that’s what happened; McDonald landed a vicious counter-right before following up with a barrage that stunned Soto.

Soto managed to get back up off the cage before a big uppercut sent him sprawling and a few more right hands finished him, brutalized after just 56 seconds.

McDonald stated, via MMAJunkie.com:

“That’s one of my favorite moves. I’m always looking for it, especially when someone comes in aggressive after me.”

As for McDonald, he was simply the more accomplished fighter. He was the youngest fighter on the UFC roster, but he has 15 fights to his name, and it showed.

We could be looking at a true up-and-comer in the UFC. McDonald is still young, and he’s undoubtedly going to sustain some tough losses when he starts fighting better competition. But he’s already showing that he belongs, and he showed much more discipline than the 27-year-old Soto.

Look out for Michael McDonald, folks.

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UFC 139 Results: Chris Weidman Proving to Be Legit Up-and-Comer in UFC

Any thoughts that Chris Weidman is still a wild card in the UFC ended on Saturday against Tom Lawlor.He’s not a wild card. He’s an up-and-coming star.In UFC 139 on Saturday, Weidman, a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, proved just how dan…

Any thoughts that Chris Weidman is still a wild card in the UFC ended on Saturday against Tom Lawlor.

He’s not a wild card. He’s an up-and-coming star.

In UFC 139 on Saturday, Weidman, a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, proved just how dangerous his wrestling skills were.

Lawlor started off the aggressor and headed straight for Weidman, but Weidman kept him at a distance, then closed in quickly, putting Lawlor on the fence.

At that point, all Lawlor was trying to do was scramble off the mat. But he was kept down with a single leg by Weidman, then adeptly placed into a Brabo choke. The choke was so well done, with such good positioning, that Lawlor had nowhere to go—he went to sleep before the ref could even stop the fight.

Weidman finished the fight at the 2:07 mark, cementing a quick and decisive victory for the New Yorker.

Weidman, who improved to 7-0 and 3-0 in the UFC, was clearly elated about his latest victory.

Said Weidman, via MMAJunkie.com:

“God gave me long arms, and I make them work for me. I’m real, real happy. Tom Lawlor is the best guy I’ve fought so far. This is a big day.”

Weidman’s wrestling skills and jiu-jitsu game are becoming a severe threat for opponents. His win against Lawlor came after submitting Jesse Bongfeldt in just six seconds in UFC 131, which was the Submission of the Night for the event.

If the 27-year-old continues at this pace, he’s going to be making a name for himself in a hurry.

Bring on a higher level of competition.

Weidman is clearly ready to take the next step.

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UFC 139 Results: Miguel Torres Outpaces Nick Pace

In the end, newcomer Nick Pace just couldn’t keep up the pace.Pace, in just his ninth professional fight on Saturday in UFC 139, started out energetic, highlighted by a couple hard knees to veteran Miguel Torres’ body, but Torres was simply too much ov…

In the end, newcomer Nick Pace just couldn’t keep up the pace.

Pace, in just his ninth professional fight on Saturday in UFC 139, started out energetic, highlighted by a couple hard knees to veteran Miguel Torres’ body, but Torres was simply too much over the full 15 minutes, scoring a 30-27 unanimous victory.

For Pace, it was simply the case of an inexperienced fighter trying to find his way. And he possibly would have had a better shot if this was the Torres who lost to Demetrious Johnson in May.

But Torres was a better fighter on Saturday, showing glimpses of the WEC champion he used to be.

It wasn’t a display of brutal blows from Torres. He won the fight by dodging Pace’s big shots, jabbing away and being smart on the ground, successfully firing back on the few occasions Pace took him down to the mat.

By the third round, Pace was going for it all, but Torres showed his experience by never letting him land too many big shots. The continual dismissal of Pace’s effort left him tired, as well as bloodied, by the end of the fight, and the decision was an easy one for the judges.

Said Torres, via MMAJunkie.com:

“A guy like Nick Pace is real dangerous. He had nothing to lose. … He was real durable. I had to be smart.”

In the end, Torres inches closer to the title discussion, going 3-1 in his last four fights and improving his UFC record to 2-1.

As for Pace, he fell to 1-2 in the UFC, this being the second straight loss after losing via unanimous decision to Ivan Menjivar in UFC 133.

Pace still has a lot to learn.

However, he learned a lot from Torres on Saturday.

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UFC 139 Results: Seth Baczynski’s Comeback Continues with TKO of Matt Brown

Seth Baczynski’s UFC career was over before it even started, getting tossed out of the organization after his first UFC loss.But Baczynski has stormed back since that loss to Brad Tavares in the Ultimate Fighter 11 finale, winning his last four fights,…

Seth Baczynski‘s UFC career was over before it even started, getting tossed out of the organization after his first UFC loss.

But Baczynski has stormed back since that loss to Brad Tavares in the Ultimate Fighter 11 finale, winning his last four fights, including his second-round TKO of Matt Brown on Saturday.

On Saturday in UFC 139, Baczynski battled Brown early, with both fighters exchanging blows in the first round and Baczynski scoring a takedown.

But the second round turned the scale in Baczynski‘s favor, when Brown attempted a takedown and Baczynski took advantage, executing a beautiful guillotine choke that ended things quick.

The fight was a tale of two fighters going opposite directions. Baczynski has won his last four fights, and his last two in the UFC. Brown has lost four of his first five fights in the UFC and isn’t making a strong case to stay in the organization.

You have to love what Baczynski has done. He wasn’t given much of a chance early on, but with his latest work he is proving that he belongs in the UFC. He only showed up to UFC Fight Night 25 because the UFC needed a replacement for the injured DaMarques Johnson.

Said Baczynski before the fight, via MMAJunkie.com, “A fight’s a fight, and I’m glad to be back.”

A win is also a win, and Baczynski will take every win he can get. Things are all of a sudden looking bright for a fighter who once didn’t know if he would ever make it to the UFC again.

Talk about making the most of your second chances.

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