Author: Scott Polacek

UFC 187: Latest Fight Card Predictions and Projected Winners

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but the winner of the showdown between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson will probably want to take their new light heavyweight championship belt home.
The clash between the two fighters is the main event of UF…

What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but the winner of the showdown between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson will probably want to take their new light heavyweight championship belt home.

The clash between the two fighters is the main event of UFC 187 in the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. With five main card matches and a crowded undercard, mixed martial arts fans will be thrilled with Saturday’s action.

Here is a look at the entire fight card and the predicted winners.

 

Fight to Watch: Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (19-4-0) vs. Daniel “DC” Cormier (15-1-0)

Johnson and Cormier will square off for the vacant light heavyweight title Saturday. As if the stakes weren’t enough, their distinct styles make the fight all the more intriguing because both must control the tempo and utilize their strengths to come away with the marquee victory.

Cormier lost his sparkling undefeated record to Jon Jones, but he gets a shot at redemption against a red-hot Johnson. In fact, Rumble boasts nine consecutive victories on his resume and packs one of the most powerful punches in all of MMA. 

While Johnson also brings some quickness to the table to supplement his famed power, Cormier boasts a wrestling background and will likely try to get this match to the mat at times. DC is also quick on his feet, and that speed will pose a problem for his opponent’s punching.

Johnson must deal with the speed and wrestling combination of Cormier (as well as the transitions between the wrestling and striking), which will become more of an issue the longer the fight proceeds and the more fatigue becomes a factor.

UFC.com underscored Cormier‘s tempo by noting that he lands 3.78 significant strikes per minute compared to Johnson’s 3.33. DC is also more accurate at 48.12 percent to Rumble’s 45.47 percent. A long fight favors the accurate striker with the versatility of a wrestling background, so Cormier must avoid any crippling power blows in the early going.

Despite those statistics, Dan Downes of UFC.com believes Johnson’s power will be enough to overcome Cormier’s abilities:

Daniel Cormier is an excellent fighter; that can’t be debated. What can be debated, however, are his chances in the light heavyweight division. Many of the relative advantages he had against heavyweights (speed, pacing, cardio) have been nullified at light heavyweight. His wins have been over a green Patrick Cummins and a Dan Henderson in the twilight of his career. Cormier will struggle with Johnson’s power and have a hard time finishing takedowns. As long as Johnson doesn’t gas himself out looking for the finish, he take the unanimous decision.

Although he picked Johnson, Downes touched on something of a concern late in his prediction. Cormier is quick enough to avoid most of the devastating blows from Rumble, which could wear on the powerful puncher both mentally and physically.

Footwork is the worst enemy of a power striker, and that is exactly what DC presents.

That speed and footwork will still be there in the later stages of the fight, which will help Cormier seize control near the end. He also doesn’t sound particularly intimidated by Johnson’s power, per Michael Martinez of UFC.com:

When I watch Rumble Johnson, he’s a bully. He bullies guys. He makes them go backward, and he traps them. I’m not going to allow that. If he tries to bully me, I’ll stand right in front of him, and if he hits me, I’ll hit him right back. And then we’ll see how the bully handles it when nobody is going to run away from him.

That confidence will be rewarded Saturday.

Cormier will dictate the tempo after avoiding Rumble’s power and ultimately seize the wrestling opportunities as they arise. Between that tactical skill on the mat, the impressive speed and the necessary ability to avoid the most powerful punches from Johnson, DC will walk away with the light heavyweight title.

Prediction: Cormier over Johnson by unanimous decision

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UFC and Dish Network Agree to New Contract: Latest Details and Comments

UFC renewed its partnership with Dish Network just in time for Saturday’s UFC 187 in Las Vegas.
UFC.ca passed along the official announcement: “UFC is pleased to announce the renewal of a multi-year partnership with DISH Network L.L.C. to c…

UFC renewed its partnership with Dish Network just in time for Saturday’s UFC 187 in Las Vegas.

UFC.ca passed along the official announcement: “UFC is pleased to announce the renewal of a multi-year partnership with DISH Network L.L.C. to continue providing all of the biggest and most anticipated UFC Pay-Per-View (PPV) events of the year to DISH’s approximately 14 million customers.”

UFC Chief Content Officer Marshall Zelaznik commented on the agreement as well, per UFC.ca: “We are thrilled that DISH will continue to carry UFC PPV events and featured content. Together with DISH we will continue to deliver all of our premium content for years to come.” 

This deal will allow fans to watch Saturday’s UFC 187 fight card, which features the clash between Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Daniel “DC” Cormier for the vacant light heavyweight title.

The fight headlines a main card that includes five showdowns and pits the power punching of Johnson against the wrestling background and impressive speed of Cormier.

Dan Downes of UFC.com described each fighter’s strengths and set the stage for the must-watch fight:

Currently riding a nine fight win streak (six by KO) Anthony “Rumble” Johnson is one of the hardest hitters in any division. While his opponent’s wrestling may be more highly touted, Rumble still defends takedowns at an 85% rate and has neutralized grapplers many times throughout the course of his career. An Olympic wrestler, Daniel Cormier gets another shot at gold after suffering the first loss of his career to Jon Jones. A volume striker, he excels at clinch work and dirty boxing.

Cormier lost his undefeated record to Jon Jones but now gets a shot at Johnson, who enters this fight with nine straight wins. Whichever fighter dictates the tempo and establishes his style of fighting in the early going will likely walk away with the title.

This new agreement ensures fans will get to see that happen Saturday.  

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Jon Jones Suspended, Stripped of Title, Replaced by Daniel Cormier at UFC 187

The UFC stripped light heavyweight champion Jon Jones of his title and issued him an indefinite suspension Tuesday. Those actions came as a result of the fighter’s arrest on a “felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death or p…

The UFC stripped light heavyweight champion Jon Jones of his title and issued him an indefinite suspension Tuesday. Those actions came as a result of the fighter’s arrest on a “felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injuries,” per Marc Raimondi of MMAFighting.com. 

Fox Sports Live provided the details:

The UFC released a statement on the suspension via its official website:

UFC announced that it has suspended Jon Jones indefinitely and stripped him of the light heavyweight title as a result of violations of the organization’s Athlete Code of Conduct Policy. Jones was recently arrested in Albuquerque, N.M. on a felony charge of leaving the scene of an accident involving personal injury. As a result of the charge and other violations of the Athlete Code of Conduct Policy, the organization believes it is best to allow Jones time to focus on his pending legal matters. …

With this decision, UFC has determined that No. 1 contender Anthony Johnson will now fight No. 3 contender Daniel Cormier for the UFC light heavyweight championship at UFC 187 on May 23 in Las Vegas.

SportsCenter noted that Jones is the first UFC champion to have his title revoked for disciplinary reasons.

Raimondi delved into numerous details on the arrest. Jones allegedly ran a red light when driving Sunday, struck another car and fled the scene on foot. A pregnant woman was behind the wheel of that other vehicle and broke her arm in the crash. There was also a marijuana pipe and marijuana in the rental car Jones allegedly fled.

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com passed along some quotes from UFC president Dana White after news of the suspension broke and pointed out what the fallout will be inside the ring:

While the fight between Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson for the undisputed UFC light heavyweight title at UFC 187 is sure to draw interest among UFC fans, the sport clearly has other concerns in its immediate future.

Cormier himself suggested as much, per Helwani:

Make no mistake about it, this is a sad day for our sport. One of the best fighters of all time has found himself in trouble again. It sucks. Despite our differences, I truly wish the best for Jon and his family, and I know he can get through this.

But in life, opportunity knocks, and it’s up to you to answer the door. So as I’ve done time again, I’m answering that door. I will be in Vegas on May 23 — you can count on me — I will win the belt, and then when Jon is ready to return, I will be happy to give him a shot at my belt.

UFC had more from Cormier, saying “There are a lot of people that look up to Jones and want to see him succeed. I’ll be waiting on the other side with the belt.”

Jones took to social media to offer an apology for the incident:

It remains to be seen if and when Jones will return to the UFC.

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Werdum vs. Hunt: Analyzing Results from UFC 180 Showdown

Sometimes, all it takes is a perfectly timed knee to the face to turn around the momentum of a sporting event.
Fabricio Werdum did just that after he weathered an early storm from Mark Hunt in the initial round of the interim UFC Heavyweight Championsh…

Sometimes, all it takes is a perfectly timed knee to the face to turn around the momentum of a sporting event.

Fabricio Werdum did just that after he weathered an early storm from Mark Hunt in the initial round of the interim UFC Heavyweight Championship fight at UFC 180 on Saturday in Mexico City. Werdum won by technical knockout in the second round. He certainly had to work for his victory, but a beautifully placed flying knee to Hunt’s chin completely flipped the script on the match.

Hunt actually landed a number of forceful punches on Werdum in the first round and dictated the tempo in the early going.

However, Hunt’s initial momentum proved futile in the second round when Werdum sent the challenger to the mat with that previously mentioned knee to the chin. The Brazilian wasted no time after that and pounced on the opportunity by unleashing a series of punches and shots on the ground until the referee stopped the fight.

It was an incredible turnaround considering how impressive Hunt looked in the opening few minutes.

Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com summarized the action accordingly:

Hunt landed nine significant strikes in Round 1 compared to Werdum’s eight, per UFC.com, but Werdum took control in the second round. The eventual victor ended up with 13 significant strikes in the second round compared to Hunt’s one.

Werdum discussed the win after the match, via Steven Marrocco of MMAJunkie.com: “This belt is for my daughters and my wife and my family and my team. He punched me very hard, but I’ve been waiting for this moment.”

While Werdum did walk away with the all-important victory, the 40-year-old Hunt did more than just hold his own. He put a scare in the significant favorite and belonged in that cage right alongside Werdum.

It was even more impressive considering Hunt only had a few weeks to prepare for the high altitude of Mexico City because he was a late fill-in for Cain Velasquez. Unfortunately for the veteran Hunt, that may have represented his final opportunity on one of the sport’s bigger stages, given his age.

As for Werdum, the win gave him his fifth straight victory and seemingly set up a showdown with Velasquez. Still, that is assuming that Velasquez comes back 100 percent back from injury, which is a major assumption at this point.

He will have until March of 2015 to fully recover.

Ideally, for fans of the sport and competition as a whole, Velasquez will return to 100 percent quickly because a clash between him and Werdum would be must-see television for UFC supporters.

For now, though, Werdum will enjoy his hard-fought interim UFC Heavyweight Championship.

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Werdum vs. Hunt: Latest Predictions Before Anticipated UFC 180 Main Event

If you were excited for the much-anticipated showdown between No. 1-ranked heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1) and Cain Velasquez, you may have to compromise.
That heavyweight title bout will not take place after Velasquez injured his knee, …

If you were excited for the much-anticipated showdown between No. 1-ranked heavyweight contender Fabricio Werdum (18-5-1) and Cain Velasquez, you may have to compromise.

That heavyweight title bout will not take place after Velasquez injured his knee, which means No. 4-ranked Mark Hunt (10-8-1) is something of a pinch hitter in the interim title fight as the main event of UFC 180 on Saturday night.

It will be the first major pay-per-view from Mexico City, and Hunt only had three weeks to prepare after accepting the fight on short notice.

The main problem for Hunt will not be the short notice. It will be his opponent.

Werdum checks in at 6’5” with an impressive reach, which will be an issue for the 5’10” Hunt on Saturday. That type of height and reach advantage means Werdum will stay out of range of any potential match-changing blow from Hunt, which is something the challenger is more than capable of delivering.

Werdum has victories over the likes of Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Travis Browne, Roy Nelson, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Fedor Emelianenko in what was arguably the marquee victory of his career—especially since it came as a first-round submission.

If Werdum can get the fight against Hunt to the floor early and often, it will likely be over rather quickly. Few in the history of the heavyweight division utilize the submission quite like Werdum, and he will certainly have the advantage on the mat against Hunt, who is more known as a striker relying on heavy blows.

However, Werdum can do much more than just attack from the floor, and Yahoo Sports even pointed out that he is no longer known for just the one aspect of his game:

Werdum’s striking has gradually improved as his career has progressed, and coach Rafael Cordeiro attributed it to his dedication outside of the Octagon, via Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports:

Fabricio dedicated eight years of his life to get to that point. He has so much heart. A lot of the jiu-jitsu guys come to the gym and they take one, two, three punches and they want to pull guard. But Fabricio is not like that. He showed a lot of heart since the beginning. He wanted to learn and he put himself through a lot.

While Werdum is ranked No. 1 and had a longer preparation period, Hunt should not be overlooked.

His power punching alone represents a threat for Werder if the No. 1-ranked heavyweight is not focused, and Hunt is also capable of turning the momentum of the fight with impressive kickboxing.

If nothing else, Hunt is always a candidate for a knockout because of the power he packs behind every move.

Still, it’s almost impossible to ignore the fact that Hunt didn’t have the time to prepare for a fight that will take place in the high altitude of Mexico City. Stamina will certainly be a factor, especially if Werdum turns it into a grappling match, which can sap energy even faster.

Werdum is clearly the better fighter on the mat and has improved his striking to the point where it is not a huge advantage at all for Hunt.

With that type of versatility against an opponent who could wear out by the middle of the second round, Werdum is the pick.

Prediction: Werdum wins by second-round submission.

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UFC 175: PPV Schedule and Biggest Fights to Watch

While most of the country is grilling out, watching fireworks and eating hot dogs over Independence Day weekend, some of the best fighters in the world will display their skills at UFC 175 in Las Vegas.
The dominant Chris Weidman will likely stir up so…

While most of the country is grilling out, watching fireworks and eating hot dogs over Independence Day weekend, some of the best fighters in the world will display their skills at UFC 175 in Las Vegas.

The dominant Chris Weidman will likely stir up some patriotism from those in attendance when he goes up against Lyoto Machida in the marquee event of the night. Here is a look at the entire card and the pay-per-view schedule:

 

Date: Saturday, July 5

Time: 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. PT

Available: Pay-Per-View (check local listings) and UFC.tv 

Main Card: Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida, Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis, Stefan Struve vs. Matt Mitrione, Uriah Hall vs. Thiago Santos and Marcus Brimage vs. Russell Doane

 

Now that we know what the schedule looks like, here is a glance at the top fights to watch during the much-anticipated event. Stats are courtesy of UFC.com.

 

Chris Weidman vs. Lyoto Machida

Weidman will put his middleweight championship belt and his perfect 11-0-0 record on the line against the 21-4-0 Lyoto Machida. Machida, who is a former light heavyweight champion himself, should not be overlooked.

Still, Weidman has looked completely dominant almost every time he steps foot in the Octagon, and there is no reason to think that will change Saturday. He lands a formidable 3.15 significant strikes per minute and is an impressive wrestler, as evidenced by his fourth-highest takedown accuracy in UFC history.

In fact, he puts opponents on the mat four times per 15 minutes and does just about anything you can imagine effectively. 

He even looks ready, via Joe Ferraro of Sportsnet’s UFC Central:

However, Machida has the fourth-most knockdowns in UFC history and brings a 56 percent striking accuracy to the table. What’s more, he stops nearly 82 percent of opponents’ attempts at a takedown, which will be critical Saturday.

Even though Machida matches up nicely with Weidman, the middleweight champion will prevail with a typical fast start.

Weidman will use his overall power and wrestling ability to set the tone from the beginning. Look for him to gradually wear Machida out as the bout progresses, which will ultimately lead to an impressive victory.

 

Ronda Rousey vs. Alexis Davis

It is a testament to Ronda Rousey’s overall ability, popularity and marketing power that she could very well be the main attraction at UFC 175 despite the Weidman and Machida match. 

Rousey will put her 9-0-0 record and women’s bantamweight title to the test against the 16-5-0 Alexis Davis in what could be a rather straightforward victory.

Rousey is unbeatable once the fight goes to the ground and has the second-most submissions via the armbar in UFC/PRIDE/WEC/Strikeforce history. Throw in her improvement in the striking department, and there seems to be little hope for Davis on paper.

Still, Davis is known as a grappler and will test Rousey’s stamina if the fight goes into the third, fourth and fifth rounds. It’s not impossible to envision a situation where Davis seizes on an opportunity for a ground attack and submission and puts the fight in doubt.

Rousey discussed her opponent on The Jim Rome Show: “She’s definitely a much different kind of a puzzle. Her coaching staff is amazing. I know all the tools she has are going to be used as intelligently as possible and definitely a very interesting puzzle in itself.” 

Davis may be a difficult puzzle, but Rousey will solve it like she always does.

 

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