Author: Scott Polacek

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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UFC 172 Results: Breaking Down Jon Jones’ Victory and More Top Storylines

UFC 172 made history thanks to the dominance of Jon “Bones” Jones against Glover Teixeira. 
ESPN Stats & Info broke it down for fans:

Let’s take a look at his impressive victory, as well as some of the other results fro…

UFC 172 made history thanks to the dominance of Jon “Bones” Jones against Glover Teixeira. 

ESPN Stats & Info broke it down for fans:

Let’s take a look at his impressive victory, as well as some of the other results from UFC 172.

 

Jones Dominates

Jones improved his record to 20-1 and was never challenged by Teixeira over the course of five rounds in Baltimore. All three judges scored the contest in favor of Jones, 50-45, in what was a much more dominating performance than his last fight against Alexander Gustafsson.

Jones commented on the fight afterward, via Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com: “It was a lot of improv. Game plan was to stick takedowns and pick him apart from a distance. I realized he was winding up on his punches so I switched game plans and fought at extremely close range. It worked out great.”

Jones controlled the entire fight with his 84” reach and never gave Teixeira much of a chance.

In fact, the fans even started to boo Teixeira in the fifth round when his mouthpiece fell out.

After such a dominating performance, it’s only natural for Jones to look ahead, especially since he nearly lost to Gustafsson in his previous bout.

Of particular interest is the fact that the UFC is considering taking that fight to Sweden.

Considering how close the Swede came to knocking off Jones in their previous fight, any edge that the home crowd provides would be huge. Gustafsson would likely come out energized and perhaps even take control of the match in the early going. 

However, crowd support can’t do anything about Jones’ reach and overall athletic ability. He will learn from his last fight with Gustafsson and likely add onto his historically great resume in the process.

 

Luke Rockhold Impresses

Jones’ victory was the headline of Saturday’s action, but Luke Rockhold looked dominant as well when he made quick work of Tim Boetsch.

In fact, Rockhold notched a victory in slightly more than two minutes, which was one of the fastest wins of his career. The magnitude of the stage gave the former Strikeforce middleweight champion a sizable audience to impress, and that is exactly what he did. 

Rockhold thrilled fans by submitting Boetsch via kimura on the way to an easy win.

 

Anthony Johnson Destroys Phil Davis

In the fight before the main event, Anthony Johnson gave fans a taste of what they were about to see from Jones when he destroyed Phil Davis. 

Johnson is a 205-pound specimen who mixes power and wrestling ability better than the majority of fighters in the sport. Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports deemed Johnson’s performance to be a beatdown:

Johnson won 30-27 on every scorecard and stuffed all eight of Davis’ takedown attempts.

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UFC 172: Key Storylines to Watch in Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira

The UFC picked a heck of a way to introduce itself to Baltimore.

In what will be the UFC’s first event in the city, light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will look to defend his crown against Glover Teixeira on Saturday at UFC 172. You wo…

The UFC picked a heck of a way to introduce itself to Baltimore.

In what will be the UFC’s first event in the city, light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones will look to defend his crown against Glover Teixeira on Saturday at UFC 172. You would be hard-pressed to find a fighter who has more momentum right now than Teixeira, but Jones is the champion for a reason. 

Jones recently discussed the upcoming clash, among other things, with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com:

Without further ado, let’s look at a few storylines to watch for in the light heavyweight title fight.

 

Something Has to Give 

There is no other way to put it: Something has to give when these two titans clash on Saturday.

Jones has successfully defended his title six times, and the only loss on his resume came in the form of a disqualification in 2009 to Matt Hamill. Jones was winning that bout until he threw illegal downward elbows, ending his undefeated mark for good.

On the flip side, Teixeira has lost twice before, but he’s riding a 20-fight win streak. In fact, he hasn’t lost since 2005 in just his fourth professional contest.

These two fighters haven’t lost in years, which means someone is going to experience unfamiliar territory on Saturday night.

 

Reach Versus Striking Speed

The key to the match may be the reach of Jones going up against the punching and striking speed of Teixeira.

According to UFC.com, Teixeira lands 6.91 significant strikes per minute compared to Jones’ 4.15. However, the champ’s accuracy checks in at 54.23 percent, while Teixeira is only at 47.97 percent. Teixeira has definitely been known to take chances, which partially explains the lower accuracy total, but if he can connect on a flurry of strikes, he may take control of the fight.

On the flip side is the significant reach advantage that Jones brings to the table.

According to CBS Sports, Jones’ unofficial reach is 84.5 inches, while Teixeira’s is 76 inches. 

Look for Jones, who has better accuracy and a longer reach, to counterbalance the striking speed of Teixeira.

It will be difficult for the Brazilian to avoid Jones’ strikes throughout that match because of the champ’s reach advantage, which means that striking speed may not come into play as much as some might expect.

 

How Much Substance Is Behind Teixeira’s 20 Straight Wins?

Luke Thomas of MMAFighting.com brings up an interesting point when discussing Teixeira’s 20 straight victories:

Teixeira might actually be the best light heavyweight in the sport, but to date, we don’t have clear cut proof that he is. All we have is his resume, which while impressive, doesn’t contain enough to credit him as being the division’s best. That doesn’t mean he can’t or won’t win. It just means if you’re picking him, you’re doing so based off of the unseen, not the seen.

He simply hasn’t faced anyone of Jones’ caliber yet. That may ultimately not matter, but if Jones gets off to a quick start, we could see some self-doubt creep into the challenger’s approach.

That isn’t a winning formula against someone as dominant as Jones.

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UFC Fight Night 39 Results: Most Notable Outcomes from Slate of Bouts

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira may be a legend in the UFC world, but it was Roy Nelson who made waves with a knockout victory in the most notable outcome of UFC Fight Night 39 on Friday in Abu Dhabi.
Before we delve into a more detailed look at the fight bet…

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira may be a legend in the UFC world, but it was Roy Nelson who made waves with a knockout victory in the most notable outcome of UFC Fight Night 39 on Friday in Abu Dhabi.

Before we delve into a more detailed look at the fight between Nelson and Nogueira, as well as that between Clay Guida and Tatsuya Kawajiri, here is a glance at the full results on both the main card and the preliminary card.

 

Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira

Nelson is known for his overhand right-hand punches, and he connected on a handful of them to knock out Nogueira.

UFC may be a violent sport, but Nelson was very gracious after his victory and even took to Twitter to congratulate his opponent (who is the only man to hold the Pride and UFC heavyweight titles) for his tremendous career:

To Nogueira’s credit, he was aggressive in the early going and hit on some jabs, but Nelson controlled this brief fight. He almost knocked out Nogueira right out of the gate with a right uppercut to the body and then another to the jaw.

Nelson eventually did knock out Nogueira in less than four minutes in the opening round and was already looking to the future while acknowledging his opponent in postgame comments, via Thomas Gerbasi of UFC.com:

“He’s a legend. If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t be fighting in MMA. … I want to fight for the belt. Let me start right there.” 

Nelson, who improved his record to 21-9, will certainly have some momentum going forward after this dramatic win. Whether he can turn that into bigger results, as it appears he wants to do, remains to be seen.

 

Clay Guida vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri

In the other headlining fight, Guida held off Kawajiri by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) in a fight that was much tighter than the one between Nelson and Nogueira.

Guida was impressive in the first round from the get-go, landing an overhand punch that dropped Kawajiri to the ground temporarily.

In the second round, Kawajiri was much better. The two fighters tangled against the fence for some time, and Kawajiri fended off a number of aggressive maneuvers from Guida. Still, it was clear who the better fighter was on this day.

In the third round, Guida showed his conditioning and finished off the fight with an impressive big slam takedown. While Kawajiri held his own throughout the contest, Guida was stronger and more aggressive and ultimately came away with the unanimous victory.

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