Author: Tyler Brooke

Barao vs. Wineland: Previewing UFC 165’s Co-Main Event

After a foot injury originally forced the fight to be cancelled at UFC 161, Renan Barao will finally take on Eddie Wineland this Saturday at UFC 165’s co-main event for the interim bantamweight title.
This fight has a lot riding on it, including a pote…

After a foot injury originally forced the fight to be cancelled at UFC 161, Renan Barao will finally take on Eddie Wineland this Saturday at UFC 165‘s co-main event for the interim bantamweight title.

This fight has a lot riding on it, including a potential fight in 2014 between the winner and a certain UFC bantamweight champion.  It’s going to be an exciting one, so let’s get everyone up to speed with this preview for Saturday night’s co-main event.

 

Viewing Information

Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

When: Saturday, September 21; main card begins at 10 p.m. ET.

How to Watch: Preliminaries on Facebook start at 6:15 p.m. ET.  Undercard begins at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.  Main card is available on pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m.

 

Fighter Previews

Renan Barao

32-1 (1), 5-0 in UFC

The Brazilian fighter has been on a hot streak.  He’s riding a 31-fight unbeaten run during his MMA career and is looking like the top fighter in the weight class.  He has big wins against Urijah Faber, Michael McDonald and Brad Pickett.

While Barao is a solid striker, he is stronger at winning by tapout. He’s a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which he has used to win 14 fights by submission.  He also has impressive takedown defense, avoiding the takedown 95 percent of the time.

The big thing to look for will be if he has fully healed from the foot injury that kept this fight from happening earlier this year.  If it was a significant enough injury that he was unable to fight, it will be interesting to see if he’s truly at 100 percent.

 

Eddie Wineland

20-8-1, 2-2 in UFC

After a rough start to his career in the Octagon with losses in his first two bouts, Wineland has turned things around nicely.  

He earned a shot at Barao because he’s been able to turn it around.  He won both of his fights in 2012, beating Brad Pickett by split decision and Scott Jorgensen by a second-round knockout.

Power is one of the big strengths for Wineland, as 10 of his wins have come by knockout.  He likes to focus as a striker with that power, but he also has a solid ground game that can keep him in the fight if the action drops to the mat.

He may have had a rocky beginning in the UFC, but the man who’s also a firefighter will be looking to make a big statement with a signature win against the interim champ.

 

Prediction

This fight is in Barao‘s favor.  While Wineland has some impressive power behind his strikes, Barao negates that to a degree because he’s never been knocked out in his career.

If this fight stays on the feet, Wineland has a chance, but this is likely going to be decided on the ground.  Thanks to Barao‘s fighting style, he’s going to come away with yet another submission win.

Barao wins by second-round submission.

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Jones vs. Gustafsson: Preview and Predictions for UFC 165’s Main Event

The light heavyweight title bout is going to be one of the most exciting fights of the night at UFC 165 on Saturday as Jon Jones will be taking on Alexander Gustafsson.  
The main event for Saturday night will feature two surprisingly tall fighter…

The light heavyweight title bout is going to be one of the most exciting fights of the night at UFC 165 on Saturday as Jon Jones will be taking on Alexander Gustafsson.  

The main event for Saturday night will feature two surprisingly tall fighters.  Jones is listed as 6’4” and is used to fighting shorter opponents.  Instead, he will be going up against the 6’5” Swede, who will look to dethrone the reigning champ.

Let’s take a look at a preview of the two fighters, followed by a prediction for who will walk away from Saturday night as the UFC light heavyweight champion.

 

Viewing Info

Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

When: Saturday, September 21; main card starts at 10 p.m. ET.

Viewing Info: Available through pay-per-view with your provider.

 

Fighter Previews

Alexander Gustafsson

15-1, 9 KO

There’s a reason that Gustafsson is referred to as “The Mauler.”

At 6’5”, he is an excellent stand-up fighter.  Nine of his wins have come by knockout, and he uses a combination of speed and strength to drop his opponents. He does a good job with his footwork and moving laterally to gain an edge on his adversaries.

After losing to Phil Davis back in 2010, Gustafsson turned his career around, winning his last six fights.  He has beaten the likes of Matt Hamill, James Te-Huna and Thiago Silva on his way to proving that he’s the top contender for the light heavyweight belt.

Despite being an inch taller than Jones, Gustafsson has a reach disadvantage, just like almost every other fighter who has faced the champ.  The reach difference is still 3.5 inches, which could be the difference maker in this fight.

 

Jon Jones

18-1, 9 KO

When it comes to light heavyweights, “Bones” might be the best fighter in UFC history.

Jones took the title belt away from Mauricio Rua in March of 2011. Since then, he’s taken down legends and former champs including Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen.

It’s been a very long time since Jones has tasted defeat.  His only loss came in December of 2009 against Matt Hamill, after he was disqualified for illegal blows.  Since then, he’s won nine straight fights and looks to be showing no signs of slowing down.

The former college wrestler has a balanced repertoire that makes him lethal against almost all fighters.   He has some power on the feet and excels in the clinch and on the ground to damage his opponents.

 

Prediction

This might be one of Jones’ toughest fights of his career due to The Mauler’s height, but the reach is still in the champ’s advantage.

If Gustafsson can keep the fight on the feet, he might have a shot, even if it’s still a relatively small one.  If the fight goes to the ground, however, he’s going to be in real trouble.

Jones is simply too strong of a fighter in the Octagon, and he’s going to prove that once again on Saturday night.  Only three of Jones’ wins have come by decision, and that number won’t change as Jones will come away with another big win to retain his title.

Jones wins by third-round submission

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UFC 164 Results: Breaking Down Josh Barnett’s TKO Win over Frank Mir

UFC 164 featured some interesting matchups, but the co-main event between Frank Mir and Josh Barnett was one of the more intriguing battles coming into the night, and the former heavyweight champions did not disappoint.
With 1:53 remaining in the first…

UFC 164 featured some interesting matchups, but the co-main event between Frank Mir and Josh Barnett was one of the more intriguing battles coming into the night, and the former heavyweight champions did not disappoint.

With 1:53 remaining in the first round, Barnett was able to take down Mir and defeat him by technical knockout. It was a very quick fight, but we can break down exactly what happened in those few minutes.

Things got off to a fast start as both started swinging once the bell sounded. Mir landed some big shots on Barnett in the clinch, while Barnett attempted to get Mir to the ground.  

As both fighters were fighting for position, Barnett did some damage with his knees. Mir tried to adjust, but then he got his hands caught up and absorbed some hard punches.

That’s when the big hit happened.

Barnett kept landing punches and then struck Mir with a direct knee to the head. Mir dropped to the floor, and the ref separated them, calling the fight. Barnett was able to land the perfect blow and end the fight just like that.

For Mir, his MMA career has been a bumpy road. It looked like he was done after dealing with a serious accident, but he was able to battle back to become a heavyweight contender. He then started dropping just outside of contention, and now he’s falling fast. He’s now lost three fights in a row after never losing two consecutive fights, and his career in the Octagon is starting to look like it’s coming to a close.

When it comes to Barnett, he’s still one of the more unpopular fighters in the UFC.  Not only has he had a public feud with Dana White, he’s also failed several drug tests, including one that had him stripped of his title belt back at UFC 36.

While fans may not like the fighter, he delivered an entertaining fight with an incredible ending on a spot-on shot.

Barnett will continue to be an unpopular fighter, but he will be satisfied with the win, while Mir will be hoping to keep his fighting career alive. 

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UFC Fight Night 26 Results: Chael Sonnen Ready to Fight Wanderlei Silva with Win

It was a quick main event fight between Chael Sonnen and Sogun Rua, and with Sonnen’s victory, he’s now ready to take on Wanderlei Silva.
Like I said, the main event for UFC Fight Night 26 was a short one.  Sonnen was able to make quick work of Sh…

It was a quick main event fight between Chael Sonnen and Sogun Rua, and with Sonnen‘s victory, he’s now ready to take on Wanderlei Silva.

Like I said, the main event for UFC Fight Night 26 was a short one.  Sonnen was able to make quick work of Shogun thanks to a first-round submission.  

Sonnen was aggressive right out of the gate, landing a two-legged takedown just a few seconds after the fight began.  Rua was able to get his own takedown shortly after, but Sonnen put Rua in a headlock and got the submission on a guillotine choke with 13 seconds remaining in the first round.

After the fight, Sonen made it clear once again that he wants to fight Silva.  According to Franklin McNeil of ESPN.com, Sonnen called out Silva.  He said, “I’m the man of the hour too sweet to be sour.  Wanderlei Silva, in three months, [it’s] you and the bad guy.”

The two sides have constantly been going back and forth, with Silva firing some shots on Friday.  According to Mike Bohn of MMAJunkie.com, Silva had some words for Sonnen:

This is a joke – he’s a clown.  He’s a second-level fighter. He’s not Top 10 – he’s not a top fighter. He can’t say anything about that because he’s not in the position. His results don’t give him the right to talk like that.

Shogun’ can beat him anywhere. In the standup or on the ground – he can submit and he can knock out.  I don’t see any chance for Sonnen in that fight. I don’t gamble, but I talked to my wife. I want to put $100,000 on ‘Shogun.

I hope Silva didn’t actually make that bet for his sake.

Regardless, the win for Sonnen now sets him up for the fight he’s been waiting for.  He dominated Shogun, and with that win there have been other fighters calling for a fight, including Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort.

Still, it’s obvious that Sonnen wants to take on Silva, and with how he called him out just after his fight, it would certainly be an entertaining match.

At the end of the day, Sonnen has a number of options for whom to fight next, but he is now ready to fight Silva in a fight that many fans have been waiting to see for a long time.

 

 

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Evans vs. Henderson: Predicting What’s Next For Both Fighters

The main event for UFC 161 featured two evenly matched fighters going in, and the bout was just as even.  Now that the fight between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans is over, what’s next for both fighters?The first round of the fight appeared …

The main event for UFC 161 featured two evenly matched fighters going in, and the bout was just as even. 

Now that the fight between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans is over, what’s next for both fighters?

The first round of the fight appeared to go to Henderson.  He landed a couple of nice shots, including one that wobbled Evans’ legs a bit.

Other than that, however, things were even until the third round.  The second round featured a couple of shots but mostly involved some attempted takedowns by Evans and a bit of time in the clinch.

In the third round, Evans was able to land a nice flurry of blows, along with a few others, to take the final frame.

It was an extremely hard fight to score, but two of the three judges picked Evans, giving him a split-decision win (28-29, 29-28, 29-28).

For Henderson, he could have made a case for a title shot with a win.  Now, he has an uphill battle to ever have a chance at UFC gold.

At 42 years old, Henderson likely only has a few more fights in him.  He wasn’t able to keep up with the faster Evans inside the Octagon, and he seemed drained in a relatively uneventful fight.

Although he may never get another chance to fight for a title, Henderson has had a tremendous career.  He sports a 29-10 record with 13 KO/TKOs and at one point was the Strikeforce light heavyweight champion. 

With two straight losses by split decision, “Hendo” has to be frustrated.  Unfortunately, there’s not much more he can do except continue to fight until he calls it quits.

On the other hand, Evans is in a good position to move up the rankings.  After losses to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Jon Jones, Evans needed a win to get back into the swing of things and work his way toward another title shot.

The win puts Evans at 18-3-1 in his career.  The former UFC light heavyweight champion may not be quite there in terms of challenging Jones again for the belt, but he is getting close.

Evans still has some years left in his career.  He is still quick and powerful at 33 years old and has yet to show signs of slowing down.

Both fighters have had great careers, but Evans will be looking to get another shot at the title, while Henderson is starting to wind down.

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Evans vs. Henderson: Biggest Moments from UFC 161 Main Event

The main event at UFC 161 between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans featured some big moments, even if the fight didn’t end by knockout or TKO and went the distance. This was an incredibly close fight to watch, and an even harder one to watch. …

The main event at UFC 161 between Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans featured some big moments, even if the fight didn’t end by knockout or TKO and went the distance.

This was an incredibly close fight to watch, and an even harder one to watch.  In the end, Evans was able to win by split decision 28-29, 29-28, 29-28.

In a fight this close, there were a few moments that shifted the fight, if only for a moment.  Let’s break down the biggest moments from the main event.

Hendo Throws Evans Off Balance In Round 1

There were a few nice shots by both fighters in the first round, but Henderson almost had the chance to end the night early.

After getting pressed against the cage, Henderson was able to get out and circle around Evans.  Once he got free, he was able to land a nice shot on Evans, throwing him off balance.

As soon as Evans went down, it felt like Hendo could have ended the fight quickly.  However, Evans was able to avoid the home-run shot and get back up.  He was able to finish the rest of the round without much trouble.

Had Evans not acted quickly after falling, he could have been done.  Luckily for him, he reacted on instincts and saved himself to continue the fight.

 

Evans Lands a Flurry of Shots in Round 3

It looked like Evans had won the second round, and then he looked to finish the deal in the third.

After getting hit by a counter punch from Henderson, Evans was able to quickly shift the momentum with a series of shots.  In fact, this flurry was able to drop Hendo on one knee for a brief moment.

After that, it felt like Evans had control of the round.  He landed a few more shots throughout the round, but nothing as significant as that flurry.

After that exchange, it started to feel like Evans would pull out the win.  Even though it was an incredibly close match, Evans had landed enough significant shots to earn the victory.

 

The Decision

Even though it felt like Evans would come away with the win after the third round, no one could be certain.

The time in between the final round and the official decision must have felt like an eternity for both fighters.  Both walked up looking like the felt that they had won the match. 

The first judge’s score had Henderson up, and you could tell that after that he was certain that he had won the match.  As soon as they called the second judge’s score, you quickly saw his expression change. 

Once the third judge’s score was called, Henderson was clearly upset.  Meanwhile, Evans was ecstatic and began the celebration.

After a close match, Evans came out victorious.  You could see the relief on his face, and the drama of the decision was easily one of the biggest moments of the fight.

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