Bleacher Report’s John Heinis:UFC 131 boasts a main event between two heavy-handed heavyweights in Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos to see who will challenge reigning UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez before the end of the year. Both guy…
Bleacher Report’s John Heinis:
UFC 131 boasts a main event between two heavy-handed heavyweights in Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos to see who will challenge reigning UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez before the end of the year.
Both guys have shown dominance in this division and now meet in a bout where each fighter is perfectly capable of achieving a first-round knockout.
The X-factor in this fight is likely going to be what is more effective: Carwin’s wrestling acumen, or dos Santos’ jiu-jitsu game?
Neither aspect of the fighter’s styles has been on display much in the octagon but could easily be the key to victory.
Let’s take a look at how both guys match up against one another in this No. 1 contender bout.
Bleacher Report’s Michael Magoulis:Heading into UFC 131, the late replacement of Brock Lesnar by Shane Carwin has turned a lot of heads. While late replacements are usually disappointing, many seem to believe that Carwin actually makes for a better f…
Bleacher Report’s Michael Magoulis:
Heading into UFC 131, the late replacement of Brock Lesnar by Shane Carwin has turned a lot of heads. While late replacements are usually disappointing, many seem to believe that Carwin actually makes for a better fight with Junior Dos Santos.
Both are known for their vicious knockouts and between the two of them, they have a combined 22 first round finishes.
Still, Dos Santos, for several reasons, will finish Shane Carwin at UFC 131 and get a shot at Cain Velasquez in the process.
Bleacher Report’s Blake Dreisbach:Heavyweight fighter Dave Herman (20-2), who is also known as “Pee-Wee,” will be making his UFC debut this weekend, which features a main event between heavyweight powerhouse-punchers Junior Dos Santos and …
Bleacher Report’s Blake Dreisbach:
Heavyweight fighter Dave Herman (20-2), who is also known as “Pee-Wee,” will be making his UFC debut this weekend, which features a main event between heavyweight powerhouse-punchers Junior Dos Santos and Shane Carwin.
Herman’s opponent, Jon Olav Einemo (6-1), hasn’t fought since 2006 when he defeated James Thompson. His only loss is to Fabricio Werdum.
The fight is being overlooked in many ways, and it may just turn out to be the fight of the night. Herman may be the most exciting heavyweight on the card, and that is saying a lot.
He is one of the best up-and-coming fighters to be added to the UFC roster, and these are five reasons why you should pay attention to him on Saturday.
Strikeforce’s June 18 fight card took a serious blow on Tuesday when it was announced that the most famous fighter in women’s MMA, Gina Carano, would not be competing on the fight card because she was not medically cleared to fight.Later in the day, MM…
Strikeforce’s June 18 fight card took a serious blow on Tuesday when it was announced that the most famous fighter in women’s MMA, Gina Carano, would not be competing on the fight card because she was not medically cleared to fight.
Later in the day, MMAJunkie.com broke the news that Carano had indeed been cleared by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
MMAJunkie spoke to Susan Stafford, a representative of the Department of Licensing and Regulation, who told the website, “She had met all the state of Texas requirements.”
Rumors then began to swirl as to exactly why Carano had withdrawn from the card.
One of the first of these rumors was published by Guyism.com, who asked, “Could it be that Carano is simply out of shape or unable to make weight? If you recall, she’s had some trouble in the past getting her weight under control before a fight.”
Carano has had trouble in the past making weight, failing to make weight for her May 2008 Elite XC fight. She again struggled to make the 140 pound limit in her next Elite XC fight, coming in at 142.75 in her first attempt. Carano did make the weight after removing all her clothes and weighing in behind a towel.
As stated above, this is just a rumor.
The June 18 fight would have marked the first time Carano had been in the cage since losing her Strikeforce title to Cristiane ‘Cyborg’ Santos in August 2009.
Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:At UFC 131, Junior dos Santos is set to face Shane Carwin in a heavyweight bout that will determine the No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title.Cain Velasquez awaits the two fighters and is a tough test for either …
Bleacher Report’s Sal DeRose:
At UFC 131, Junior dos Santos is set to face Shane Carwin in a heavyweight bout that will determine the No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight title.
Cain Velasquez awaits the two fighters and is a tough test for either one of them. At the age of 26, is Junior dos Santos destined to overtake Velasquez or eventually take over the UFC throne?
Dos Santos has come into the UFC and picked apart each fighter he has faced with his devastating striking ability, beating the likes of Roy Nelson, Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic, Gabriel Gonzaga and Fabricio Werdum.
The brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, dos Santos has yet to showcase his ground game and it could be his one key weakness in his game. But who knows how good he really is on the ground? Yes, we haven’t seen it yet, but it could be great for all we know. It could also be very bad.
Dos Santos, though, has made it this far with his striking, and for a heavyweight, is a very athletic fighter.
Eventually I see dos Santos as a champion, and he could be the best threat to Velasquez’s throne. If we knew what dos Santos’ ground game looked like, I could say how good of a chance he has. But, if the fight stays standing I think he has the ability to beat the likes of Velasquez.
Bleacher Report’s Ed Kapp:Although Krzysztof Soszynski decided to try out for “The Ultimate Fighter” on a whim—with no expectations of making it through the casting process—it has turned out to be, arguably, one of the best decisions of his life…
Bleacher Report’s Ed Kapp:
Although Krzysztof Soszynski decided to try out for “The Ultimate Fighter” on a whim—with no expectations of making it through the casting process—it has turned out to be, arguably, one of the best decisions of his life.
Prior to his run on ‘The Ultimate Fighter: Team Nogueira vs. Team Mir’, Soszynski, who had competed in TKO, Strikeforce, and the IFL, had established himself as one of Canada’s most talented mixed martial artists.
As a member of Team Mir, Soszynski, who also made a name for himself with a number of practical jokes during his time in the “TUF house,” registered victories over Mike Stewart and current UFC contender Kyle Kingsbury before eventually being submitted by Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Vinny Magalhães in the semi-final round of the tournament.
Since leaving the show, Soszynski, with victories over Shane Primm, Brain Stann, Andre Gusmao, Stephan Bonnar, and Goran Reljic, has established himself in the thick of the UFC’s 205-pound division and is currently slated to take on Igor Pokrajac at UFC 131 on June 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
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