Tonight at UFC 141, Dong Hyun Kim battered and bruised Sean Pierson en route to a unanimous decision victory.What were some of the lessons to be gleaned from the encounter? Two things.First, the front kick is here to stay. It’s the “move of the moment….
Tonight at UFC 141, Dong Hyun Kim battered and bruised Sean Pierson en route to a unanimous decision victory.
What were some of the lessons to be gleaned from the encounter? Two things.
First, the front kick is here to stay. It’s the “move of the moment.” It’s the iPhone 4 of MMA.
The Steven Seagal-inspired move took the MMA world by storm when Anderson Silva used it to knock out Vitor Belfort, then Lyoto Machida used it to finish Randy Couture.
Tonight, Kim took to the air to unleash a few flying front kicks of his own. One thrown at the end of the second round put Pierson on the canvas. The bell saved Pierson from a TKO, but the Canadian was wobbly getting up, and even walked the wrong way for a moment as he headed back to his corner.
Second, Kim is for real in the UFC welterweight division. His judo throws and grappling were as strong as ever, but he also displayed much-evolved striking against Pierson (and not just with the front kick).
With this win, Kim (15-1-1-1) recovered from his first career loss, suffered at the hands of Carlos Condit back in July. Kim also boasts wins over Matt Brown, Nate Diaz and Amir Sadollah. It’s time for him to take a step up in competition now. How about Rick Story or Johny Hendricks?
Tonight at UFC 141, lightweight Donald Cerrone squares off with Nate Diaz in, as Bruce Buffer would say, the co-main event of the evening.Both men are on hot streaks at the moment, and rank among the top 20 lightweights in all the major world rankings….
Tonight at UFC 141, lightweight Donald Cerrone squares off with Nate Diaz in, as Bruce Buffer would say, the co-main event of the evening.
Both men are on hot streaks at the moment, and rank among the top 20 lightweights in all the major world rankings. A win for either would be a huge leap forward. For Cerrone, who hasn’t lost in the UFC in four fights, it could solidify him as a title contender.
But in the meantime, he’s got the dangerous and irascible Diaz in front of him. And this could be the fight of the night. So what does Cerrone need to do to win?
Well, in a nutshell, he can be himself. I know it sounds silly, but hear me out.
Nate’s bread and butter is a stalking style of boxing and a finish-minded submission game. Cerrone isn’t typically the type to get bullied, on the feet or on the ground.
When the fight is standing, he doesn’t seem likely to let Diaz walk him back into the fence. He can return Nate’s fire with kicks and knees as well as punches. And while the Diaz brothers are famous for their endless cardio, Cerrone doesn’t tire easily, though, and shouldn’t overextend himself or allow Diaz to blow him out.
On the ground, Cerrone has the well-rounded game, quickness and athleticism to keep pace with Diaz and power out of any scrapes. Diaz is great on the ground but doesn’t always actively look to go there. If Cerrone can get a takedown and assume top control, he should be able to score points while staying out of Diaz’s submissions.
Cerrone probably can, and should, dictate where the fight takes place. The bottom line is that if he fights within himself and commits to bullying the bully, Cerrone has a great chance to come out on top.
Everyone deserves a chance to learn from their mistakes. That includes MMA fighters, and that includes the front office of the UFC.Like everything else with a pulse, plenty of people from both camps have had their share of mishaps. The truly unfortunat…
Everyone deserves a chance to learn from their mistakes. That includes MMA fighters, and that includes the front office of the UFC.
Like everything else with a pulse, plenty of people from both camps have had their share of mishaps. The truly unfortunate part occurs when people cut off their noses to spite their face, digging into an unfair or uninformed position, or refusing to acknowledge a change in circumstances.
That is, I believe, the case with these 10 fighters. Each was fired or released from the UFC. I think that, for one reason or another, they have earned another shot in the Octagon or never should have lost their shot to begin with.
I’m not saying all or even most of these guys have a great shot at actually getting that second chance. But personally, I would like to see them happen.
Earlier this week, I counted down the 10 worst smack talkers in MMA.Now it’s time to count down the best.What…you don’t want to? You scared, homie? Would you rather be making me a steak? I’m actually a little hungry. Medium rare, if you can do it. An…
What…you don’t want to? You scared, homie? Would you rather be making me a steak? I’m actually a little hungry. Medium rare, if you can do it. And then you can go back to your mama’s house and get your shine box for me.
These are the 10 fighters most heavily blessed with the gift of gab—and for getting inside the heads of opponents and fans alike.
There is a pretty good amount of of turnover in the UFC. Especially now with an entire generation of stars aging before our eyes, and Strikeforce slowly dripping its lifeblood into the Octagon like some huge IV bag, departures are a way of life. But th…
There is a pretty good amount of of turnover in the UFC. Especially now with an entire generation of stars aging before our eyes, and Strikeforce slowly dripping its lifeblood into the Octagon like some huge IV bag, departures are a way of life. But that’s the way it is. You’ve got to clear out the dead wood. Out with the old, in with the new.
Without further ado, here are the 10 fighters who appear likely to disappear from the UFC before long, be it by cut or retirement.
Well, he did it again. At UFC 140, Jon Jones overcame what was probably the most (or only) in-cage adversity of his career to choke out Lyoto Machida late in the second round and retain his light heavyweight title.Here are some of the key takeaways fro…
Well, he did it again. At UFC 140, Jon Jones overcame what was probably the most (or only) in-cage adversity of his career to choke out Lyoto Machida late in the second round and retain his light heavyweight title.
Here are some of the key takeaways from the fight.
What we’ll remember about this fight
That Jones was tested like he has never been tested before, and passed with flying colors. In the first round, Machida found openings in Jones’ stand-up and charged through them forcefully. The Dragon appeared to win the round.
Jones regrouped in the second round, scoring a takedown and opening Machida’s forehead with an elbow. Soon after, Jones locked in a standing guillotine choke. When he released the choke, Machida fell to the mat in a heap, and another one bit the dust.
What we learned about Lyoto Machida
He’s still very much a relevant fighter. Using his signature stick-and-move karate, Machida pushed Jones farther than Jones had ever been pushed before. In so doing, Machida scored a moral victory of sorts. Those don’t count in the record books, but perhaps it’s something Machida can build on.
What we learned about Jon Jones
That he can rally. He had never been hit hard in the cage, and with apologies to Matt Hamill had never cleanly lost a round. All the uncertainty about how he would fare in the proverbial deep water can be considered resolved. At least to the point such a resolution is possible given that he choked out his opponent in the second round.
What’s next for Machida
It wouldn’t seem that a great deal of soul-searching is in order. He is what he is. Tonight, against the best light heavyweight in the world, it didn’t work well enough for him to win. As for Machida’s next opponent, he might make an interesting welcome-back gift for Thiago Silva this spring.
What’s next for Jones
If Rashad Evans can get past Phil Davis at UFC on Fox 2 next month, he should be next in line. Dana White has indicated as much. Evans just might be the man to beat Jones at light heavyweight, if such a man should exist. If Evans loses to Davis, the next shot would likely go to a Mr. Dan Henderson.
Be sure to stay tuned to Bleacher Report for all things UFC 140. B/R is your home for complete coverage of the December 10 fight card, from pre-fight predictions to in-fight coverage, results and post-fight analysis.
Tonight at UFC 141, Dong Hyun Kim battered and bruised Sean Pierson en route to a unanimous decision victory.