Author: Vince Carey

UFC on FX 5 Results: What We Learned from Mike Pierce vs. Aaron Simpson

A lot of fight fans probably scheduled their bathroom breaks and trips to the fridge to coincide with an expected tough wrestling battle between Aaron Simpson and Mike Pierce. Instead, Mike Goldberg’s favorite scenario took place, and the wrestle…

A lot of fight fans probably scheduled their bathroom breaks and trips to the fridge to coincide with an expected tough wrestling battle between Aaron Simpson and Mike Pierce.

Instead, Mike Goldberg’s favorite scenario took place, and the wrestlers canceled each other out and the fight turned into a slugfest.

Simpson got things started on the feet first.

He rocked Pierce with some solid shots, chasing him around the cage in an attempt to finish the fight, but Pierce held on and survived the round.

Perhaps the big first round left Simpson a bit too confident though, as he threw a big right hand in the early seconds of the second round that was countered perfectly by a shorter right hand from Pierce.

The shot knocked Simpson into dream world, and the follow-up punches earned Pierce his first UFC finish since early 2011.

 

What we learned about Mike Pierce:

Mike Pierce isn’t just a wrestler.

It’s a bit unfortunate that Pierce has earned a reputation as a boring fighter, but his grinding style hasn’t exactly endeared him to fans and exciting performances like this one don’t happen too often.

Pierce is one of the better fighters in the welterweight division, but he seems to get overlooked due to his style. He struggles against opponents that he can’t drag to the mat, an obstacle he overcame against Simpson.

 

What we learned about Aaron Simpson:

Despite a tough knockout loss, Aaron Simpson has the potential to be a pretty good fighter in the welterweight division.

The welterweight division is full of high-level wrestlers, and throwing Simpson into the mix is only going to make a deep division that much better.

Simpson was able to stop Pierce from imposing his grinding style, something only the best wrestlers at 170 have been able to do thus far. Prior to the knockout punch, Simpson was easily winning in the striking exchanges.

 

What’s next for Mike Pierce:

Another win for Pierce sets his UFC record to 7-3, and it would seem that it’s time for another step up in competition.

Pierce got a good win over Simpson, but I think he needs to take one more fight against another top wrestler before he makes the leap into the top ten.

The loser of tonight’s co-main event between Jay Hieron and Jake Ellenberger would be a perfect fight for Pierce to take next.

 

What’s next for Aaron Simpson:

This is a tough loss for Simpson, especially since he had his chance to finish the fight in round one.

Still, Simpson has a lot of talent and should get another fun fight in the welterweight division going forward.

Whether he wins or loses tonight, a fight between Simpson and Josh Neer could easily turn into a brawl, and would be an exciting bout for a Fuel broadcast in the future.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

B/R Official Rankings for October: The Top 10 Lightweights in MMA

September wasn’t exactly the most active time for the top-ranked fighters in the lightweight division. Most of the fighters on this list have fought somewhat recently, so it ‘s no surprise that there wasn’t any movement in the Bleache…

September wasn’t exactly the most active time for the top-ranked fighters in the lightweight division.

Most of the fighters on this list have fought somewhat recently, so it ‘s no surprise that there wasn’t any movement in the Bleacher Report MMA rankings this month, especially since Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez went down with an injury just over a week before his title defense against Pat Healy.

The rankings will be going through some changes in the next few months, with long time contender Clay Guida dropping down to 145 pounds and a title fight between Benson Henderson and Nate Diaz already set for December, but it appears October is going to be as inactive as September was in one of the most exciting divisions in MMA.

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UFC on Fuel TV 5 Results: Post-Fight Stock Report

The heavyweight division gained a new contender on Saturday. Stefan Struve has been overlooked throughout his UFC career due to early knockout losses to Junior dos Santos and Roy Nelson, but now that he’s riding a four-fight win streak following …

The heavyweight division gained a new contender on Saturday.

Stefan Struve has been overlooked throughout his UFC career due to early knockout losses to Junior dos Santos and Roy Nelson, but now that he’s riding a four-fight win streak following a huge win over Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fuel 5, it’s time to realize that Struve is the real deal.

Also on the rise is former welterweight title contender Dan Hardy, who used a fired-up hometown Nottingham crowd to get past a game Amir Sadollah in the co-main event.

After hitting rock bottom just over a year ago, Hardy’s stock has finally started to recover from the massive hit it took during his four-fight losing streak.

With UFC on Fuel 5 in the books, here’s a quick look at some top fighters from the card and their post-fight stock reports.

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UFC on Fuel TV 5 Results: Recapping the Fight Night Bonuses

Stefan Struve might be for real, folks. A lot of people thought Stipe Miocic was on his way to becoming a serious contender in the heavyweight division, but Struve reminded us that at just 24 years old, he has plenty of room to grow as well. The knocko…

Stefan Struve might be for real, folks.

A lot of people thought Stipe Miocic was on his way to becoming a serious contender in the heavyweight division, but Struve reminded us that at just 24 years old, he has plenty of room to grow as well.

The knockout win over Miocic made it four-straight stoppage victories for “The Skyscraper,” and he’s likely going to get a step up in competition in his next fight.

With a Fight of the Night check headed his way, Struve is in prime position to climb the heavyweight ladder and become a true title threat in the UFC’s heavyweight division.

 

Fight of the Night: Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic

As good as Struve looked in a win, Miocic likely earned a lot of fans during his gritty performance in Nottingham.

Miocic started off strong, but as Struve started to find his range in the second rounds, things went badly for the Ohio native.

Struve landed a big right uppercut that sent Miocic reeling, and, after that, Struve was able to pick away at Miocic’s rocked state, landing a barrage of punches that almost did enough to stop the fight.

Miocic came back with a few big punches of his own, but another flurry from Struve was enough to force referee Herb Dean to stop the fight.

Both of these fighters have a bright future ahead of them, and they put on a show in their first headlining bout.

 

Knockout of the Night: Brad Pickett

Going into this fight, I expected a Fight of the Night contender to emerge.

Instead, Pickett decided he wanted to live up to his moniker in England.

“One Punch” was able to land a solid uppercut right on the chin of an unsuspecting Yves Jabouin, and it left the Canadian bantamweight sprawled out on the canvas.

This is a huge win for Pickett, who has rebounded from a title eliminator loss to Renan Barao with two-straight stoppage wins, and “One Punch” is suddenly back in the mix at 135 lbs.

A Top Five opponent is in order for Pickett, and a win there could land the English fighter a shot at the elusive belt.

 

Submission of the Night: Matt Wiman

As a fight fan, I sometimes tell myself that I’ve learned to expect the unexpected.

It’s guys like Wiman that make me eat my words.

I don’t know if anyone expected Matt Wiman to tap out submission ace Paul Sass, but that’s exactly what Wiman did when he locked in a fight-ending armbar in the first round.

The consistently underrated Wiman has now won five of his last six bouts, and with a win over a highly regarded prospect in Sass, “Handsome” may be close to breaking into the Top Ten in the lightweight rankings.

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UFC on Fuel TV 5 Results: What’s Next for Amir Sadollah?

Amir Sadollah has had quite a UFC career. After defeating CB Dollaway and becoming the winner of season seven of The Ultimate Fighter, Sadollah immediately became a fighter with a target on his back, and he has responded more often than not. Outside of…

Amir Sadollah has had quite a UFC career.

After defeating CB Dollaway and becoming the winner of season seven of The Ultimate Fighter, Sadollah immediately became a fighter with a target on his back, and he has responded more often than not.

Outside of a controversial knockout loss to Johny Hendricks in his first fight after winning the reality show, Sadollah has been one of the toughest fighters in the UFC’s welterweight division to finish, something that didn’t change in his loss to Dan Hardy at UFC on Fuel 5.

Sadollah was able to stand and trade with a much more powerful striker in Hardy, and he actually won his fair share of the exchanges in the striking department, but Hardy’s raw power in his lead left hook made it seem that he was getting the better of Sadollah.

The fight changed for the worse for Sadollah when he went to get the fight to the mat, an area where many thought he would have the advantage due to his crafty guard and underrated submission skills.

However, Hardy turned the tables on Sadollah and was able to stuff the takedowns of Sadollah and come back and land a few of his own.

The tough loss to Hardy is going to push Sadollah back a bit in the welterweight rankings, but it’s the inconsistency in Sadollah’s record that is going to become an issue soon.

There’s no doubt that Sadollah is a company man and has put on some fun performances during his run inside the Octagon, but his overall UFC record is just 6-4 and with a 1-2 run in his last three fights, Sadollah could be fighting for his job the next time he walks into the cage.

A fight with prospect Stephen Thompson has potential to be fun, but if the UFC wants to give Sadollah an opponent that can match his star power then Yoshihiro Akiyama is the way to go.

A fight between Sadollah and Akiyama would be a ton of fun to watch, but, more importantly, it would prove which one of these fan favorites doesn’t belong inside the Octagon anymore.

It’s a tough situation for Sadollah, but the time has come for him to prove he’s still a threat at 170.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fuel TV 5 Results: What We Learned from Dan Hardy vs Amir Sadollah

“The Outlaw” returned to his old stomping grounds in Nottingham, England, and Dan Hardy made sure his hometown fans left the arena with a reason to celebrate. Hardy looked like a brand new fighter in his win against Amir Sadollah, utilizing…

“The Outlaw” returned to his old stomping grounds in Nottingham, England, and Dan Hardy made sure his hometown fans left the arena with a reason to celebrate.

Hardy looked like a brand new fighter in his win against Amir Sadollah, utilizing his wrestling far better than we’ve ever seen him inside the Octagon, and keeping his striking on point as well.

In his first fight since he snapped a brutal four fight losing streak, Hardy proved he’s doing everything in his power to get back into title contention at 170 lbs.

 

What We’ll Remember about This Fight:

First and foremost, I think the Nottingham crowd is what made this fight so much fun.

Hardy and Sadollah got into a few fun exchanges, and neither fighter did anything to embarrass himself, but the live crowd was so hot that it gave a fight between two mid-level welterweights a big fight feel.

Their overwhelming support for Hardy was one of the cooler things we saw all day, and it made a key win for “The Outlaw” even more enjoyable for the rest of us.

 

What We Learned about Dan Hardy:

Slowly but surely, Dan Hardy is improving his ground game.

After getting rag-dolled in his UFC 111 title fight against Georges St-Pierre, Hardy has slowly been showing that his ground game is getting better, and he used his new found takedown skills for the first time in his UFC career.

“The Outlaw” has always been known as a threat on the feet, and if he can start forcing his opponents to worry about him taking the fight to the mat, he’ll only be more successful.

 

What We Learned about Amir Sadollah:

A lot of people expected Amir Sadollah to get knocked out by Dan Hardy, but the former Ultimate Fighter winner proved that his striking is some of the most underrated in the welterweight division.

Sadollah landed a ton of clean sots against Hardy and won quite a few exchanges on the feet, but the surprising takedown ability and hard left hook of Hardy seemed to throw Amir off of his game a bit.

Sadollah arguably did enough to take the first frame, but the next ten minutes belonged to “The Outlaw”.

 

What’s Next for Hardy:

Hardy showed off some improved wrestling ability in this one, but he still needs to prove he can shut down the grappling of a solid wrestler.

We know Matt Riddle has beef, and he could provide a nice test for the Nottingham native on the mat.

Sounds perfect.

 

What’s Next for Sadollah:

Sadollah is consistently in tough fights, but he can’t seem to get the right amount of momentum going to makes some waves at welterweight.

Due to his win on season seven of The Ultimate Fighter, Amir is going to be a name on the radar for a lot of up and coming 170 lb fighters, and I think someone like Stephan Thompson would provide a fun fight and a stern test for Sadollah.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com