Author: Tim Keeney

UFC 159: Power Ranking Best Wins from Grueling Event

For better or for worse, UFC 159 had it all.It had some underwhelming fights; it had some massively entertaining fights. It had some questionable and disappointing finishes; it had some enthralling, powerful finishes. The action from the Prudentia…

For better or for worse, UFC 159 had it all.

It had some underwhelming fights; it had some massively entertaining fights. It had some questionable and disappointing finishes; it had some enthralling, powerful finishes. 

The action from the Prudential Center in Newark was seemingly up and down, but we’re here to take a look at the positive side of the event—and at the fighters who were most impressive in their wins. 

 

3. Pat Healy (Defeated Jim Miller via Submission)

If we’re talking strictly in terms of bonus money, then Pat Healy—who took home $130,000 for Submission and Fight of the Night—is the night’s biggest winner.

(So, yeah, basically he’s the night’s biggest winner. Money is good)

The 29-year-old lightweight deserved it, too, as he put together an absolute gem to earn the submission victory against the hometown favorite—and elite wrestler—Jim Miller. 

Miller controlled the first round, but Healy showcased his resiliency, dominating the second and continuing to put on the pressure in the third. 

With the time running down, he was able to get Miller into a devastating rear-naked choke to put the Jersey boy to sleep. 

Not bad for a guy who came into the fight with a career 0-1 UFC record against an extremely tough fighter who had been submitted just once previously in his career. 

 

2. Roy Nelson (Defeated Cheick Kongo via Knockout)

If you need Roy Nelson summed up in one perfectly perfect sentence, take the words of Big Country himself (via UFC on FOX):

The man has a point.

There have always been questions about the 6’0″, 258-pounder’s conditioning, but those questions quickly become drowned out by knockout punches like this one:

Poor, poor Cheick Kongo.

Nelson has now won three fights in a row all via knockout in the first round, and after Saturday’s incredibly impressive Knockout of the Night, the momentum for a title shot is picking up.

Should he fight (per Tom Igo of 5th Round) and beat 12-0 Daniel Cormier, he may just get it. 

 

1. Jon Jones (Defeated Chael Sonnen via Referee Stoppage)

I don’t think Saturday’s win established Jon Jones as the undoubted best pound-for-pound fighter in the business, but it certainly proved he belongs in the thick of the conversation. 

Jones destroyed Sonnen. He took him behind the woodshed and gave him an old-fashioned beating. 

And he did it without taking advantage of his superior length. He controlled Sonnen with punches and elbows, repeatedly taking him down. Eventually, after pinning him against the cage, Jones unleashed another furry of hits that forced the ref to end the fight in the first round. 

Sonnen was fighting outside of his weight class, but anytime you can completely dominate an accomplished competitor with such ease, it’s an impressive feat.

Oh, and by the way, Jones did all of that with a mangled toe. Sometime during the fight, he suffered a nasty open fracture on his big toe, but didn’t even realize it until he was finished with the whooping. 

That is a man’s man’s man right there. 

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Ronda Rousey’s Fight with Liz Carmouche Will Be Good for UFC

Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey is one of the most popular MMA stars in the world, and it was only a matter of time before Dana White rightfully put the undefeated champion in the octagon for a major UFC event.Oh, and she’s a she—big whoop, wanna fight abou…

Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey is one of the most popular MMA stars in the world, and it was only a matter of time before Dana White rightfully put the undefeated champion in the octagon for a major UFC event.

Oh, and she’s a she—big whoop, wanna fight about it? I bet Rousey probably does. 

The 26-year-old from Riverside County, Calif. is the LeBron James of MMA. She is the Lionel Messi of the octagon, the best in the sport by a large margin. Way better than everyone else. Unstoppable. You get the idea. 

Rousey has six official fights under her belt. She has gone six rounds and secured six wins—all by armbar. Her submission of Julia Bond was the best of 2011. Her submission of Miesha Tate was the best of 2012. Her most recent of Sarah Kaufman took just 54 seconds:

The 2011 and 2012 Female Fighter of the Year is unlike anything we’ve ever seen. She’s aggressive, dominant, overpowering, technical and not so hard on the eyes—if you’re into that sort of thing. She is a force of nature that you have to see to believe. 

Just ask White, who was instantly convinced the moment he saw her ascendancy. 

Rousey was such an undeniable attraction that White, the sport’s president, was forced to sign her to UFC and create the UFC Women’s Bantamweight Championship just so she would have a title to defend at the upcoming UFC 157 against Liz Carmouche (which will mark the first ever women’s UFC fight). 

And it was unequivocally the correct decision. 

Women’s MMA, just like every other sport, is completely different than men’s. It’s understandably not for everyone, but this isn’t about gender.

It’s about one athlete transcending so unbelievably far above their sport that history needs to be made just so more people can bare witness. Rousey‘s popularity is skyrocketing, and even if she isn’t the star of the most popular sport in the world, what she’s doing is too unbelievable not to at least watch one time in your life.

She’s like the Aurora Borealis or the Great Wall of China.  

Even critics of the sport will find it difficult not to get just a little bit pumped up after watching the preview of Rousey vs. Carmouche:

UFC 157 is going to be unique. It’s going to feature a woman fighter. Some people will undoubtedly hate that, but the majority of the population won’t be able to look away.

Score another one for White and this increasingly popular sport. 

 

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Anthony Pettis Is Rightful Recipient of Lightweight Title Shot

When someone does what Anthony Pettis did to Donald Cerrone on Saturday night, that someone deserves an opportunity to prove he is the best in the world. In case you happened to miss what Pettis did the Cowboy during UFC on Fox 6, here’s a look at…

When someone does what Anthony Pettis did to Donald Cerrone on Saturday night, that someone deserves an opportunity to prove he is the best in the world. 

In case you happened to miss what Pettis did the Cowboy during UFC on Fox 6, here’s a look at the highly anticipated fight and quick finish:

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you embarrass an opponent.

Not only did Showtime make work of Cerrone in short order with a kick to the liver that everyone in attendance probably felt themselves, but he dominated the rest of the fight from start to finish. 

Pettis connected on a slew of early punches and just barely missed with an Earth-shattering kick in the fight’s first minute. Meanwhile, Cerrone, who was coming off the Knockout of the Night against Melvin Guillard back in August, was rendered completely useless, as he failed to make even a blemish on Showtime’s face. 

Joseph Benavidez, who knows fighting pretty well himself, summed up the fight perfectly:

Essentially, if the fight was Mortal Kombat, it would have been a flawless victory—along with a massively entertaining “finish him”—for Showtime. 

That now marks two Knockouts of the Night in just over three total minutes of fighting for the 26-year-old in his last two contests. 

The best way to award him?

A title shot. 

Rightly so, it didn’t take long for UFC President Dana White to give Pettis just that (via UFC Tonight on Twitter):

Pettis, who became the first fighter to knock out Cerrone, has already beaten Henderson, the current UFC Lightweight Champion, before. Back in December of 2010, the two went to decision at WEC 53 where Showtime was crowned with a unanimous victory. 

Still, though, both fighters are much improved since that fight and if we are indeed given a rematch—”Smooth” will be a favorite against Gilbert Melendez in April—it will undoubtedly be a must-see battle. 

And after Saturday’s dominant performance by Pettis, a truly deserved matchup, too. 

 

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Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen: Spider’s Motivation Bad News for The Foreman

You won’t like Anderson Silva when he’s angry.And with just a week-and-a-half until Chael Sonnen and Silva square off at UFC 148 in Las Vegas, that’s exactly what The People’s Champ has done. Via ESPN:
“What I’m going to do inside the Octagon is s…

You won’t like Anderson Silva when he’s angry.

And with just a week-and-a-half until Chael Sonnen and Silva square off at UFC 148 in Las Vegas, that’s exactly what The People’s Champ has done. 

Via ESPN:

“What I’m going to do inside the Octagon is something that’s going to change the image of the sport,” Silva said through a translator. “I’m going to make sure every one of his teeth are broken, his arms are broken, his legs are broken.

“He’s not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon by himself. I can guarantee that.”

Now, those are certainly some graphic comments, but this is a guy who fights for living. Just like all boxers, wrestlers and UFC fighters, he is going to talk a lot of smack before the fight.

Some of it might end up true, some of it might not. That’s just the nature of the sport and the people who participate in it.

At least, that’s how you would expect to respond to those comments.

But Anderson “Spiderman” Silva is different.

Just out curiosity, I decided to look back to see what kind of things he was saying before he fought Sonnen the first time around, which was back in August of 2010. What I found was interesting to say the least.

Via Sherdog:

“I’m relaxed for this fight. I’m used to fighting idiots like him that are talking about me. It’s a constant battle. I’ve fought idiots all over the world. Some have respected me. Some haven’t,” he said. “I can’t tell you who’s gonna win Saturday night. We’ll see how he’s acting tomorrow at the weigh-ins. That’s when it’s gonna start, and we’ll see how it goes.”

For context, the above quote from two days before the 2010 fight was in response to Sonnen dropping a bunch of smack talk, one-liners, etc., which is similar to the present-day conditions. 

But as you can see, Silva’s response is quite a bit different this time around. 

What you heard and read from Silva back in 2010 is what you usually hear and read from him. He shrugs everything off, laughs at the smack talk and simply goes out and dominates. That’s why he’s the best in the world. 

Now that Sonnen has actually made him mad and elicited an incredibly violent response, watch out. The beast has been awaken from his slumber and that’s not good news for the 35-year-old American.

If Sonnen had to submit in the fifth round against a “relaxed,” unprepared Silva back in 2010—even if he controlled most of the fight—I truly fear for his teeth, arms and legs against a pumped-up, motivated Silva. 

 

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Wanderlei Silva vs Rich Franklin Results: Mad Dog Must Retire After Recent Loss

During UFC 147’s fight of the night, Wanderlei Silva proved he still has something left in the tank. But that doesn’t mean he should wait until he hits “empty” to retire.Mad Dog must end his career while he still has a sufficient number of brain cells….

During UFC 147‘s fight of the night, Wanderlei Silva proved he still has something left in the tank. But that doesn’t mean he should wait until he hits “empty” to retire.

Mad Dog must end his career while he still has a sufficient number of brain cells. 

Despite the loss against Rich Franklin on Saturday night, Silva showed some of that impressive power that has helped him collect 24 knockouts in the past, including the knockout of the year in 2008.

But it wasn’t enough, and therein lies the problem: The absolute top of his game wasn’t enough and wasn’t even sustainable. 

Yes, The Axe Murderer dropped Franklin in the second round and came very close to knocking him out, but when he failed to accomplish that, it was all but over. Via Brian Knapp of Sherdog.com:

“At the end of the second round, I really thought I was going to be able to knock him out,” he said. “I really wanted to, but I’m sorry I wasn’t able to. Yes, I did. I think [I punched myself out in round two]. I pushed it a bit too much, but I really wanted to knock him out. I just want to thank the crowd, because I fight for you. My fans are who I do this for.”

The fact that Silva ran out of steam in the second round is a sign that the 35-year-old might want to call it quits sooner rather than later. 

Silva has lost seven of his last 10 fights and four of his last six. His only knockout in the last three years came against 39-year-old Cung Le.

The power potential is still there for Mad Dog, but he doesn’t have the explosiveness to continue to be the exciting force he was in the early- and mid-2000s. 

For the record, I believe that Silva will take on one or two more opponents before Dana White finally pulls the plug on him.

But if he were smart, The Axe Murderer would simply shut it down right now.

He has proved all he needs to prove during his magnificent career, but after losing in his home country, it’s clear Silva isn’t the man he used to be.

When you continue fighting at less than full strength, that’s when injuries start to happen.

While Wanderlei Silva certainly can continue his UFC career, it wouldn’t be smart and it wouldn’t be necessary. 

 

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Junior Dos Santos vs. Frank Mir: Potential Opponents for Cigano’s Next Fight

Junior dos Santos crushed Frank Mir at UFC 146. Only one logical question remains. Who’s next?The answer to that question is undoubtedly important because in the last five years the heavyweight title has bounced around more than, well, nevermind.Whoeve…

Junior dos Santos crushed Frank Mir at UFC 146. Only one logical question remains. Who’s next?

The answer to that question is undoubtedly important because in the last five years the heavyweight title has bounced around more than, well, nevermind.

Whoever steps up to take on dos Santos next will, at least from a recent historical perspective, have a good chance at taking his belt. 

So, let’s take a look at the fighters who stand to potentially be Cigano’s next opponent. 

 

Alistair Overeem

The big man’s future is completely up in the air after failing a random drug test and being pulled from UFC 146.

If he does manage to save his reputation and get another shot at the big time, however, Overeem would be the perfect opponent for JDS. 

At 6’5″, 263 pounds, he enters the octagon with one thing on his mind: knocking opponents’ heads off. And with seven of his 10 wins coming by knockout, he does a pretty good job at accomplishing that. 

Additionally, Overeem won’t try to go the ground like Frank Mir did. He’ll just stay upright and try to punish dos Santos with punches and kicks while dos Santos will come back with an array of his own powerful punches.

 

Fabricio Werdum

Werdum lost to Overeem in June of 2011 and he also lost to dos Santos back in 2008, but he’s ready for a rematch after beating Roy Nelson in the Fight of the Night at UFC 143.

Of course, Nelson just scored an impressive knockout against Dave Herman, so that win looks even better for Werdum.

Most importantly, he’s Brazilian. Putting him up against fellow Brazilian Junior dos Santos at the next Brazil event makes a lot of sense. 

 

Cain Velasquez 

Is there really any question that Velasquez deserves the rematch? The big American lost to JDS at UFC on FOX back in November of 2011, but after UFC 146, he’s easily the No. 1 contender.

(WARNING: the following video contains lots of blood)

Velasquez absolutely tore apart Antonio Silva during Saturday’s co-main event. 

Not only is Velasquez the most deserving, he and dos Santos combine for what would be the most exciting show.

Make it happen, Dana White.

 

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