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UFC on Fox 3: Nate Diaz and More Stars Who Will Suffer Key Losses

As if the day in sports wasn’t busy enough on Saturday, UFC on Fox 3 has a strong card featuring several top fighters hoping to pick up big wins. Anytime there are so many evenly matched fights, the card usually lives up to the hype. Let’s take a look …

Let’s take a look at three stars who will fall short, knocking them down the ladder at least a rung or two. With the competitiveness of UFC on the rise in recent years, every loss is key because there’s always somebody looking to take the spot.

Nate Diaz

Inconsistency has started to plague Diaz over the past couple years. Any time it seems like he’s starting to build up some momentum, he quickly loses it all. That’s why his two-fight winning streak really doesn’t mean anything as he prepares to face Jim Miller.

Miller doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for being one of the sport’s rising stars. The submission specialist has won eight of his last nine fights, including a quick victory over Melvin Guillard his last time out in January.

When Diaz does struggle, it’s usually against opponents like Miller that have shown the ability to play strong defense. Look for Miller to let Diaz wear himself out before earning the victory.

Josh Koscheck

Koscheck is difficult to figure out. When he faces lower-level opponents, he usually controls the entire fight. But whenever he tries to step it up to battle an elite fighter, he doesn’t showcase the same versatility and falls short.

That’s a worrisome trend as he gets ready to take on Johny Hendricks. The southpaw has won 12 of his 13 career fights in MMA, including a 7-1 mark since joining UFC. He’s a powerful striker that will cause plenty of problems for Koscheck.

This will be a huge chance for Hendricks to prove his record isn’t a fluke against a big name. I expect him to respond to that challenge with a strong showing to knockout Koscheck.

Lavar Johnson

Johnson was able to end his losing streak by defeating Joey Beltran back in January, but he’ll face a much tougher test from Pat Barry on Saturday. It has the potential to be the most entertaining fight on the card because both guys love to strike.

The problem of Johnson is Barry’s defense. Barry has only been knocked out once in his career while 14 of Johnson’s 16 wins have come via KO. So something has to give and you have to give the advantage to Barry, at least by a small margin.

Johnson will come out with his usual level of aggressiveness. Barry will wait for an opening and will earn the biggest win of his career so far, opening up bigger chances moving forward.

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UFC 145 Results: Rory MacDonald Defeats Che Mills

Rory MacDonald entered his fight against Che Mills as the favorite and didn’t falter, picking up the victory at UFC 145 to improve his career MMA record to 13-1. It’s his third straight win since a loss to Carlos Condit in 2010. MacDonald has always be…

MacDonald has always been a talented fighter with the ability to adapt to any style, but injuries have kept him from rising the ranks as quickly as he likely hoped. He has entered the Octagon just five times since joining the UFC more than two years ago.

Due to the sport’s recent popularity boost, the level of competition has increased dramatically over the past couple years. So, when somebody spends time on the sidelines, it gives other fighters a chance to steal the spotlight.

That said, MacDonald once again proved how dominant he can be when healthy by taking out Mills.

The English star was on a five-match winning streak of his own heading into the bout, but couldn’t stop a rejuvenated MacDonald.

It’s a major setback for Mills. He earned knockout of the night honors for his destruction of Chris Cope in his first UFC fight, but wasn’t able to back it up. That makes his next match crucial in order to get things back on track.

On the flip side, it’s another step forward for MacDonald. As long as he doesn’t wake up with any lingering injuries, he should attempt to start fighting a more aggressive schedule with hopes of continuing his move up the welterweight division.

The Canadian has struggled to maintain any momentum, but tonight’s victory might finally be the one that gets him rolling. He has enough ability to make it happen, now he just needs to put everything together and avoid the injury bug.

Keep an eye out for MacDonald. He’s a star in the making.

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UFC Undisputed 3: Jon Jones and More MMA Superstars Who Will Make Game Great

UFC Undisputed 3 will be released next week and it promises to be the best MMA video game to date. One key factor in any sports game is the rosters. If there are too many key names missing, it really takes away from the experience. UFC Undisputed 3 won…

UFC Undisputed 3 will be released next week and it promises to be the best MMA video game to date.

One key factor in any sports game is the rosters. If there are too many key names missing, it really takes away from the experience. UFC Undisputed 3 won’t have that problem as it features basically every top name.

Here are three fighters who should get gamers excited about the opportunity to use them.

Jon Jones

Jones is UFC’s fastest rising star and has the potential to help the sport gain more mainstream viewers if his dominance continues. He currently holds the Light Heavyweight Championship, having defeated Lyoto Machida in December to defend his title. Rashad Evans is expected to be next.

What makes Jones a terrific video game character is his unmatched versatility. He can win via knockout, submission or decision because he can attack his opponents in so many different ways. He is basically unstoppable. In fact, his only career loss was due to disqualification.

Anderson Silva

Silva’s dominance of the middleweight division has been amazing. He won the belt from Rich Franklin in 2006 and has successfully defended it nine times since. “The Spider” has only lost twice since 2004 and owns a career record of 31-4. Not too shabby for somebody who is now 36 years old.

Hopefully, his ability is translated well into the game. The southpaw is a tremendous striker, which is always important for video games because not many people want to play as a defensive fighter. Silva’s fights are always exciting and his performance in UFC Undisputed 3 should provide more of the same.

Junior dos Santos

Dos Santos won the Heavyweight Championship in November thanks to an impressive knockout of Cain Velasquez. The Brazilian star has been on fire over the past couple of years and has basically separated himself from much of the heavyweight pack due to his rare combination of agility and power.

He’s facing a minor injury right now that is expected to keep him out of the Octagon until May. Therefore, using him in the game will be the only chance to see him crushing opponents for a while. The only problem with using him is that he might make the game too easy. He’s really that good.

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UFC 143 Results: Henry Martinez Will Bounce Back After Loss to Matthew Riddle

Henry Martinez might have lost to Matthew Riddle on Saturday night in his UFC debut, but his performance was encouraging enough to believe he has a bright future in front of him. The American fighter showed off some terrific counterattacking skills in …

Henry Martinez might have lost to Matthew Riddle on Saturday night in his UFC debut, but his performance was encouraging enough to believe he has a bright future in front of him.

The American fighter showed off some terrific counterattacking skills in the first round and really seemed to be in control of the fight at that point. He let down his guard a little bit over the final two rounds, though, but he could have still emerged victorious.

Riddle got the win via split decision in the end. That means Martinez will be under a lot of pressure in his next fight to prove he has what it takes to cut it at this level. There is only so much room on cards, so a couple bad outings will doom a fighter’s chance.

That shouldn’t be the case for Martinez. He stood toe-to-toe with a UFC veteran for three rounds and didn’t appear to be holding back, like is the case for so many fresh faces attempting to avoid getting knocked out in their first UFC bout.

It’s all about bringing the same intensity and aggressiveness to every round like he did in the first at UFC 143. If he can bring that style all the time, he’ll become a really difficult opponent to match up with because opponents will know if they let down for one second, he’ll take advantage.

The loss drops his career record to a still-respectable 8-2, but does break his four-match winning streak that dated back to 2010.

He’s been given an opportunity to shine on the sport’s biggest stage and now he knows exactly what it will take to pick up wins. The talent is clearly there, now it’s about working hard before his next fight to optimize his chances inside the octagon.

Look for Martinez to come out like a man on a mission next time around to get his career back moving in the right direction.

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UFC on FX: Why Final Ratings Will Be Indicator of How MMA Will Fare in 2012

UFC is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States. The final ratings of last night’s first UFC on FX card will be a terrific indicator of how far MMA has come over the past couple years. Since the card didn’t feature any marquee names, you …

Since the card didn’t feature any marquee names, you probably wouldn’t expect the event to reel in many viewers. That’s not necessarily the case, however, because UFC appeals to a growing audience that might have been looking to check it out for the first time.

It was also on Friday night, which is a notoriously weak night of television. That’s probably one of the main reasons president Dana White decided to have it last night instead of on a Saturday when there are a lot more sporting events to compete with.

Even though UFC is still quite a ways away from competing with the country’s major sports, it’s making up ground fast on a lot of second-tier sports. All it really needs it one marquee star that would attract a lot of attention every time he steps in the octagon.

In other words, UFC needs a Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather. Boxing’s lack of depth is really hurting that sport, whereas UFC has the depth but needs the elite names.

That depth is what the company is hoping will drive ratings up for last night. Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller might not be household names, but they are both solid veterans with track records of success to fall back on.

All told, it was a low-risk maneuver by UFC.

If the ratings come back poor, the company can blame it on a weak card. If they come back better than expected, White can use that momentum to keep building the brand into a powerhouse.

Either way, the final tally should give us a strong idea of how large of an impact MMA will have on the national sports landscape in 2012.

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UFC 142: Jose Aldo Will Overpower Chad Mendes in Main Event

Jose Aldo will get to fight in his home country of Brazil, as UFC 142 will take place in the South America instead of the United States. The red, white and blue will still be represented, though, as Chad Mendes puts his undefeated record on the line ag…

Despite Mendes’s gaudy record, Aldo will have too much power for the American to contend with. “Scarface” is the current UFC Featherweight Champion and is trying to improve the division’s reputation with his dominance.

Aldo holds a 20-1 career MMA record, including wins over Mark Hominick and Kenny Florian since his move to UFC. Of his 20 victories, 12 of them have come via knockout, but he’s still looking for his first against a UFC opponent.

He packs a lot of punch into his 5’7” frame, which tends to surprise some of his opponents. Now that he’s fighting in the sport’s top company, however, he won’t be flying under the radar for much longer. He’s become the hunted instead of the hunter.

Mendes brings an entirely different approach to the table.

Nearly two-thirds of his professional fights have gone the distance, as he utilizes a more conservative attack. He’s not the most fan-friendly fighter because the pace of his matches are considerably slower, but he has to stick with what’s worked for him to this point.

There are two ways to look at this bout. Either Aldo will be able to assert his attacking style into it and wear Mendes down or Mendes will get it slowed to his speed and neutralize that power.

Since nobody has been able to do that latter since 2005, it’s hard to imagine Mendes pulling it off. Aldo understands what his opponent’s game plan is going to be and will be well prepared to counterattack against it.

Both guys have bright futures in the business, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them face off again in the future. That said, Aldo is the king of the division right now and will be hoping to capitalize off the exposure the main event will provide him.

That should be more than enough motivation for him to land a third-round knockout.

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