It looks like Andrei Arlovski will have to wait for his rematch with Fabricio Werdum and his shot at reclaiming the UFC heavyweight belt. Instead, it appears the former UFC champion will meet Frank Mir at UFC 191.
The matchup was reported by Ariel Helw…
It looks like Andrei Arlovski will have to wait for his rematch with Fabricio Werdum and his shot at reclaiming the UFC heavyweight belt. Instead, it appears the former UFC champion will meet Frank Mir at UFC 191.
The matchup was reported by Ariel Helwani on Fox Sports 1’s UFC Tonight and is pending final confirmation:
With a 3-0 record since returning to the UFC roster and having risen to No. 4 in the heavyweight rankings, Arlovski was likely being considered for a title shot. However, with news that he will be competing against Mir, it appears StipeMiocic may have won the race for a meeting with Werdum.
Although it’s not shocking Arlovski would be passed over for Miocic, it is somewhat surprising that he’d be paired with Mir. Coming off a win over No. 5 contender Travis Browne, Arlovski figured to at least get a Top Five opponent, but he’ll instead butt heads with the No. 10 contender in his division.
Not that long ago, Mir was sitting on four straight losses, and many were calling for him to retire from MMA. After taking some time away, though, Mir has returned looking as good as ever, recording back-to-back knockout wins over Antonio Silva and Todd Duffee in the past five months.
Should Mir continue his resurgence against Arlovski, he’d slide right back into the title-shot conversation at 36 years old.
Headlined by a rematch between 125-pound champion Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson, UFC 191 is set to take place September 5 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. As the card currently stands, a bout between Arlovski and Mir would probably fit in as the co-main event.
Ronda Rousey will look to continue her reign over the women’s bantamweight division at UFC 190, where she will meet rival Bethe Correia.
Correia has done well to promote this bout against Rousey and owns an undefeated record. Still, not many are giving…
Ronda Rousey will look to continue her reign over the women’s bantamweight division at UFC 190, where she will meet rival Bethe Correia.
Correia has done well to promote this bout against Rousey and owns an undefeated record. Still, not many are giving the Brazilian a good chance of dethroning Rousey this weekend.
An Olympic medalist in judo, Rousey has always been considered a step above the rest in her division athletically. As a result, the 135-pound champion has never stepped into a cage as an underdog at any point in her MMA career.
There’s little reason that would change heading into a matchup with Correia, but here is a look at the current betting odds, via Odds Shark, for every bout on the UFC 190 main card.
Despite being the dominant champion that she is, Ronda Rousey will head into her opponent’s home country to defend her bantamweight belt at UFC 190 this weekend.
En route to an undefeated 9-0 record, Bethe Correia has gotten Rousey’s attention. The Bra…
Despite being the dominant champion that she is, Ronda Rousey will head into her opponent’s home country to defend her bantamweight belt at UFC 190 this weekend.
En route to an undefeated 9-0 record, Bethe Correia has gotten Rousey‘s attention. The Brazilian has called Rousey out on multiple occasions and seems to have gotten under the champion’s skin.
Giving Rousey extra motivation may not be the best way to go, though. It didn’t work out well for Miesha Tate, but time will tell how Correia fares against the dominant titleholder.
While Rousey and Correia should be competing inside the Octagon for years to come, some UFC 190 competitors could be battling for their roster spots this weekend. Here are the individuals sitting on the hot seat heading into Saturday’s event in Rio deJaneiro, Brazil.
Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Both Mauricio Rua and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira are ranked among the Top 15 contenders in the light heavyweight division. However, that says more about the lack of depth in that weight class than it does about either competitor’s recent accomplishments.
At 33 years old, Shogun has been knocked out in two straight bouts. This is the lowest point in his MMA career, and one has to wonder whether 12 years of fighting with the violent style that he has is beginning to catch up with him.
Nogueira, meanwhile, has not lost consecutive contests. Though, he has been out of action more than 12 months and has not had his hand raised in more than two years.
Rua and Nogueira have had excellent careers, but it would seem that there is a good chance that this rematch could end up being the last appearance for the loser in the event of a lopsided result.
Stefan Struve and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
The heavyweight division needs all the big names it can get, but Stefan Struve and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira are both in desperate need of a win nonetheless.
It is great to have Struve back and competing relatively regularly after a heart problem threatened to end his MMA career. That said, he’s been knocked out in two straight outings, leaving him with five pretty nasty knockout losses inside the Octagon.
Should Struve suffer another stoppage defeat this weekend, it might be in his best interest to take some time to work things out on a smaller show. After all, he is still only 27 years old.
At 39 years old, Nogueira has to know the end of his career is nearing. However, I’m guessing he’ll want to end his career against a more historically significant opponent than Struve.
That said, should Nogueira end up with a third straight stoppage loss against Struve, he may have the decision to end his UFC career made for him.
Antonio Silva
About two years ago, Antonio Silva was battling Cain Velasquez for the heavyweight championship.
Things have gone downhill in a hurry for Bigfoot, though. With his bout against Mark Hunt overturned to a no contest, Silva has technically been knocked out in three straight official outings.
SoaPalelei will be a big step down in competition for Silva at UFC 190, so he’ll need to win in order to have any chance to remaining a contender in the heavyweight class. If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the UFC shed his price tag and allow Silva to walk to a promotion like Bellator MMA.
Guido Cannetti
Despite failing to reach the competition finals as a TUF: Latin America contestant and losing in his UFC debut, Guido Cannetti has been given another shot to prove himself inside the Octagon.
Cannetti was submitted by Enrique Briones in his first official UFC bout. However, in earning Fight of the Night honors, Cannetti secured this chance to compete at UFC 190 against Hugo Viana.
Viana is a tough opponent to face in a must-win situation, but it’s hard to image the UFC brass keeping Cannetti around should he lose once again this weekend.
A former UFC title challenger, Yushin Okami was long one of the best in the middleweight division.
However, the Japanese standout has recently fallen on hard times under the World Series of Fighting banner. In November, Okami suffered a shocking loss t…
A former UFC title challenger, Yushin Okami was long one of the best in the middleweight division.
However, the Japanese standout has recently fallen on hard times under the World Series of Fighting banner. In November, Okami suffered a shocking loss to Dave Branch, resulting in a low point in his MMA career.
Looking to turn things around, Okami has decided to make a move to the welterweight division, which houses some of the biggest names on the WSOF roster. WSOF matchmaker Ali Abdelaziz announced the veteran’s choice on MMA Junkie Radio.
Given that Okami was by no means considered a small middleweight, the move is somewhat surprising, especially this late in the 34-year-old’s career. However, Okami never did miss weight during his UFC career, so I won’t question his ability to hit 170 pounds until he gives us reason to do so.
What I will question is Okami’s options for opponents in his new weight class.
WSOF welterweight champion Rousimar Palhares is currently set to meet Jake Shields, whom Okami lost to early on in his MMA career and would probably like another shot at now that they would again be in the same division. Outside those two individuals, Jon Fitch is certainly the next most well-known competitor on the WSOF 170-pound roster.
So, it seems very likely that Okami will meet a fellow former UFC title challenger in his welterweight debut. With WSOF short on sellable names, it only makes sense to have them paired up against one another when opportunity knocks.
A matchup between Okami and Fitch might not get MMA fans to drop everything to watch. However, it would be an intriguing grappling match that should bring some much-needed attention to the promotion.
With a loss to Palhares in his most recent outing, Fitch would probably need a Shields win in order to earn another WSOF title shot anytime soon. However, being a noteworthy fresh face in the welterweight division, Okami has a chance to earn a title shot with one win against an opponent like Fitch.
No matter who wins the upcoming title fight between Palhares and Shields, Okami would be an intriguing challenger.
He was scheduled to meet Palhares in a middleweight bout at UFC 150, but Toquinho pulled out due to a knee injury, which is ironic in hindsight given his history with holding heel hooks too long. Palhares ended up competing in the UFC only two more times after that before being cut for that very reason.
Although Okami has already lost to Shields, many years have passed since they met at Rumble on the Rock. With both fighters having come a long way since then and seeing how that original fight ended in a close decision, I don’t think either would object to a second clash for the WSOF belt.
Either way, Okami’s path toward WSOF gold in the welterweight division seems clear. He needs a win over a big name, and Fitch seems to be the only one around.
With another dominant win over Renan Barao, T.J. Dillashaw dispelled all thought that he was not the best bantamweight in the world.
Dillashaw dethroned Barao in a May 2014 upset, but many believed the Brazilian was not at his best on that night. In st…
With another dominant win over RenanBarao, T.J. Dillashaw dispelled all thought that he was not the best bantamweight in the world.
Dillashaw dethroned Barao in a May 2014 upset, but many believed the Brazilian was not at his best on that night. In stopping Barao during the fourth round at UFC on Fox 16, Dillashaw proved that was not the case and that he is just that much better than the former 135-pound champion.
Having looked so good against Barao in two of his past three outings, Dillashaw appears to have the potential to hold onto his UFC championship for a long time. However, new contenders are certainly going to pop up and Dominick Cruz looms should he ever find a way to remain healthy.
Anyways, here are the bouts that should be next for Dillashaw, Barao and the rest of the UFC on Fox 16 competitors.
He has some work to do to earn his first shot at UFC gold, but Michael Bisping refuses to go away in the middleweight division.
At UFC Fight Night 72, Bisping edged Thales Leites via split decision. The win gave Bisping back-to-back victories for the f…
He has some work to do to earn his first shot at UFC gold, but Michael Bisping refuses to go away in the middleweight division.
At UFC Fight Night 72, Bisping edged Thales Leites via split decision. The win gave Bisping back-to-back victories for the first time since a December 2011 triumph over Jason Miller. It also meant the end of Leites’ eight-bout winning streak.
With his name value, Bisping could climb back into title shot conversation with another more convincing win in his next outing. The tough part will be deciding who the Englishman should be paired up against.
Here are the matchups that should be made for Bisping, Leites and the rest of the UFC Fight Night 72 competitors.
It looks like Andrei Arlovski will have to wait for his rematch with Fabricio Werdum and his shot at reclaiming the UFC heavyweight belt. Instead, it appears the former UFC champion will meet Frank Mir at UFC 191.