Author: Tim Keeney

UFC 146 Results: Knockouts Highlight Why Heavyweight Division Is Most Exciting

The big boys know how to put on a big show. And at UFC 146, an event in which the main card was littered with intriguing heavyweight fights, the big boys once again came through in entertaining the fans. Of the five heavyweight fights, one en…

The big boys know how to put on a big show. 

And at UFC 146, an event in which the main card was littered with intriguing heavyweight fights, the big boys once again came through in entertaining the fans. 

Of the five heavyweight fights, one ended in a knockout, three ended in technical knockouts, and one ended in submission.

None went the distance. 

For comparison’s sake, of the seven other fights on the night, three went to decision and only two ended with punches. Knockouts are what get the crowd off their feet, and that’s why the heavyweight division, despite the argument that the fights were too one-sided, continues to be the King of Excitement. 

Let’s take a further look at the fights that made Joe Rogan giddiest. 

 

 

Roy Nelson KO over Dave Herman

It only takes one.

Herman, who looked like Yao Ming compared to Nelson, was clearly trying to use his reach to his advantage. 

And it worked brilliantly. For about 40 seconds. 

Because Nelson just wound up and went for it with a big right hand. He landed it and absolutely floored Herman. And just like that it was over.

Some may not like fights that end that quickly, but it was the right decision by the referee to end it and there’s no question a punch like that is one of the most exciting things in sports.

 

 

Stefan Struve submits Lavar Johnson

It was clear what each man wanted to accomplish in this fight. Of Johnson’s 17 wins, 15 had come by knockout while Struve had won 16 of his 24 matches by submission.

If the fight went to the ground, Struve would win. If it stayed upright, Johnson would destroy the Dutchman. 

Well, Struve got it to the ground, and from there it was over.

Unlike Nelson’s knockout, this one was fun to watch for two reasons. First, it was an incredibly smart fight by Struve, so that is refreshing to see. Second, the arm-bar he put on Johnson, for which he was awarded Submission of the Knight, was deadly.

Despite no knockout in this one, it was fun to see. 

 

 

Cain Velasquez TKO over Antonio Silva

If seeing blood is your thing, then this was the fight for you.

Cain took Silva took the ground and it was over. Well, it was over after a couple of minutes of pure beating. Velasquez threw an array of huge punches and elbows. 

The only break Silva got was when the fight was stopped so his cut could be checked out. When it was determined he could continue fighting, it was just another minute of pure domination. 

This fight wasn’t close, but it was entertaining as all heck. And that’s all you can ask for from the big guys.  

 

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UFC on Fox 3: Fights That Will End with Exciting Knockouts

UFC on Fox 3 may get lost among all the other big sporting events going on today, but there’s no question it will provide tons of excitement.In fact, that’s the great thing about MMA. You don’t need to be watching the best fighters in the world for a f…

UFC on Fox 3 may get lost among all the other big sporting events going on today, but there’s no question it will provide tons of excitement.

In fact, that’s the great thing about MMA. You don’t need to be watching the best fighters in the world for a fight to provide action.

As long as the styles match up well and it’s not too one-sided, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy watching the fight. Fortunately, that will be just the case tonight on the main card, even though it lacks title fights.

Let’s take a look at which fights will end in exciting knockouts. 

 

Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson

Alright, so Lavar Johnson’s nickname is “Big” and Pat Barry is a kickboxing master who hates fighting on the ground.

These heavyweights both like fighting on the ground and will enjoy beating the living pulp out of each other until it’s over. In 23 combined wins for these two, 20 have come by knockout.

If you prefer watching guys beat each other up with no regard for human life instead of watching guys wrestle themselves into human pretzels, make sure you don’t miss this one.

I’ll be very surprised if this one makes it past the second round. 

 

Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks

This is a very even fight between the No. 4 and No. 5 welterweights in the world, and that means a knockout probably isn’t likely, but I still think it will happen.

Whenever a fight involves Johny Hendricks, who is coming off a 12-second knockout of Jon Fitch, I’m looking for the fight to end early.

Hendricks is that impressive. In fact, he’s ended four fights in the first round, and three times they have been by punches.

On the other side of the Octagon, Koscheck only has five knockouts in 17 wins, but he’s got the necessary power nonetheless. 

 

Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher

OK, this one is cheating because it’s not going to end in a knockout. However, there’s no way it will go until the end, and that makes it another one you can’t miss.

In their last nine victories combined, Palhares and Belcher have only gone to decision one time.

One.

Palhares, a submission-wrestling world champion, has seen 10 of his 14 wins come via submission. Belcher, on the other hand, has submitted his opponent seven times.

Both of these fighters love to go to the round, and that’s likely where the whole fight will reside. If that’s your sort of thing, you don’t want to miss this fight. 


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UFC 145 Results: What We Learned in Mark Bocek’s Win over John Alessio

Mark Bocek knocked off John Alessio by unanimous decision at UFC 145 and ruined “The Natural’s” return to the UFC.The battle of the Canadians was never really close, as Bocek controlled the pace of the fight and did pretty much everything he wanted. He…

Mark Bocek knocked off John Alessio by unanimous decision at UFC 145 and ruined “The Natural’s” return to the UFC.

The battle of the Canadians was never really close, as Bocek controlled the pace of the fight and did pretty much everything he wanted. Here’s a look at what we learned from this fight. 

 

John Alessio Wasn’t Quite Ready for a Comeback

Alessio had been on quite a roll, winning 10 of his last 11 fights. However, he hadn’t fought in the UFC since he lost to Diego Sanchez back in May of 2006.

It appeared tonight that he wasn’t really ready for a return. 

When Alessio was actually able to stay on his feet, he was effective. It’s just too bad for him that the only time he stayed on his feet was late in the third round. He landed a bunch of solid punches and put in some good damage on Bocek, but it was too little, too late.

His inability to control the positioning for 90 percent of the fight was Alessio’s downfall. The Natural just didn’t seem ready. 

 

Mark Bocek Is Comfortable on the Ground

Bocek’s plan was clear in this one. At the beginning of every round, he went straight for the takedown, and unfortunately for Alessio, he got it every time. 

Once he secured his takedowns, Bocek delivered an array of elbows, punches and other punishing blows. 

Bocek is a submission ace, and although he didn’t get one in this matchup, it was clear that he’s even a little underrated in that aspect of the game. 

 

Bocek Is Ready for a Big-Time Run

Before Bocek lost to Benson Henderson back in April of 2011, I felt that he was going to surprise the world and get the win. 

But he didn’t look ready for that fight. No worry though, because Henderson can make anyone look like an average fighter.

Since then, however, the Canadian has now won two fights in a row, and he looked much better in this one. It’s a big question as to whether or not he’ll get another big-time fight, but if Bocek continues to fight like this, he has the capability to really make some noise.

I would enjoy seeing him going up against someone with an equally impressive ground game in his next fight. If he gets past that, look out for the 30-year-old. 

 

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UFC 141 Predictions: Brock Lesnar Will Fall Victim to Alistair Overeem Knockout

No matter what happens during tonight’s main event at UFC 141, fans are in for quite the treat when Brock Lesnar takes on Alistair Overeem. Lesnar, a real polarizing figure in the sport, hasn’t fought in the UFC in more than a year. Fans either mi…

No matter what happens during tonight’s main event at UFC 141, fans are in for quite the treat when Brock Lesnar takes on Alistair Overeem. 

Lesnar, a real polarizing figure in the sport, hasn’t fought in the UFC in more than a year. Fans either miss him or miss booing him. Either way, they’ll be glad he’s back. 

On the other side of the Octagon is Overeem. The big man from Netherlands is fighting his first UFC match, but he’s certainly made dents (literally) in other divisions. 

This is more than 500 pounds of sheer muscle clashing with each other, and no matter happens, it’s going to be exciting. 

Unfortunately for Lesnar, I think the overall rust will eventually be his downfall in this one. He hasn’t fought in a match since Cain Velasquez thoroughly beat him down in October of last year. Overeem, on the other hand, has fought in multiple bouts since that time. 

This won’t make a huge difference, but there’s no real favorite in this bout. It should be extremely close, and it could be something as small as rust that determines the outcome. 

In order to win this fight, Lesnar will have to move it to the ground. Unfortunately for Lesnar, as he attempts to do that, the Demolition Man is going to catch him with some of his raw power.

If Lesnar thought Velasquez punched hard, he’s in for a rude awakening with this behemoth opponent. Whether it’s a punch or a well-timed knee, Lesnar is going to be seeing stars once the Reem connects.

It’s going to be exciting, it’s going to be fast and both guys are going to have a ton of energy. In my mind, that will favor Overeem. 

And honestly, I don’t care if I’m wrong, because the real value is simply being able to watch this one. It’s a matchup that won’t disappoint, and that’s all I’m really concerned about. 

Don’t look away during this battle, or you’ll be disappointed. 

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UFC 141 Weigh-in Results: Main Event Will Feature over 520 Pounds of Man

In case you weren’t already sure, yesterday’s UFC 141 weigh-in confirmed it. The main event between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem features two really, really big men. Lesnar weighed in at 266 pounds, while Overeem came in at 263. That’s 529 to…

In case you weren’t already sure, yesterday’s UFC 141 weigh-in confirmed it. The main event between Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem features two really, really big men. 

Lesnar weighed in at 266 pounds, while Overeem came in at 263. That’s 529 total pounds that will hit the Octagon tonight. Basically, you might feel some minor earthquakes if you are anywhere near Las Vegas. 

After the two weighed in, they had a short but intense staredown. Lesnar then quickly left the stage as he skipped the post-weigh-in interview. It was over perhaps as quickly as the fight between the two men will be over. 

Other than that, there wasn’t a whole lot out of the ordinary during yesterday’s weigh-in. Nate Diaz, however, missed the lightweight limit of 155 pounds.

His enemy, Donald Cerrone, actually agreed to re-work the contract and said that Diaz didn’t have to cut anymore weight. 

Nevertheless, Diaz got it done and the heated fight is ready to go. The staredown resulted in a near brawl. It’s a good thing Diaz got his weight down and the two are ready to go, because this is going to be an exciting fight fueled by hate. 

Here’s a look at the official weigh-in results:

 

Main Card (Pay-per-view)

Brock Lesnar (266) vs. Alistair Overeem (263

Donald Cerrone (156) vs. Nate Diaz (156)

Jon Fitch (171) vs. Johny Hendricks (170)

Alexander Gustafsson (203) vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (205)

Jim Hettes (145) vs. Nam Phan (146)

 

Preliminary Card (Spike TV)

Junior Assuncao (145) vs. Ross Pearson (145)

Danny Castillo (156) vs. Anthony Njokuani (154)

 

Preliminary Card (Facebook)

Dong Hyun Kim (171) vs. Sean Pierson (171)

Efrain Escudero (155) vs. Jacob Volkmann (155)

Luis Ramos (171) vs. Matt Riddle (170)

Manny Gamburyan (146) vs. Diego Nunes (145)

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