Author: Vince Carey

UFC 152: 7 Things the Casual Fan Needs to Know About the Event

With two title fights, a middleweight bout with huge championship implications and one of the most stacked cards in recent memory, UFC 152 is set to be one of the biggest events of 2012. Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is set to headline the card …

With two title fights, a middleweight bout with huge championship implications and one of the most stacked cards in recent memory, UFC 152 is set to be one of the biggest events of 2012.

Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones is set to headline the card against long-time MMA veteran and dangerous striker Vitor Belfort, and in a rare treat, the co-main event features a second title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson for the UFC’s inaugural flyweight championship.

The entire fight card is full of exciting matchups, and anyone with even the slightest interest in MMA should go out of their way to check out this card.

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B/R Official MMA Rankings for September: The Top 10 Middleweights in MMA

Right when the UFC’s middleweight division seemed to get a huge influx in talent, two of its top five fighters decided to make a move up to 205 lbs. With Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort fleeing to heavier pastures, the middleweight division loses …

Right when the UFC’s middleweight division seemed to get a huge influx in talent, two of its top five fighters decided to make a move up to 205 lbs.

With Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort fleeing to heavier pastures, the middleweight division loses two of its premier veterans, and suddenly, the top five of the weight class is full of fresh faces.

With new contenders have started to dominate the upper class of the division, the bottom five gained two former title challengers of its own this month and has plenty of star power as well.

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The 99 Best Fighters in MMA Right Now

Let’s put this out in the open. No matter who you are, there’s no chance you’re going to completely agree with this list, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s awesome. There is nothing in MMA as subjective as the dozens of …

Let’s put this out in the open.

No matter who you are, there’s no chance you’re going to completely agree with this list, and as far as I’m concerned, that’s awesome.

There is nothing in MMA as subjective as the dozens of rankings fans sift through month after month, and a list of the top 99 fighters in the sport is going to be controversial at best.

These rankings were based on a fighters current standing in their division, wins over the last few years, overall legacy, and overall dominance.

This list is UFC dominated, as was probably expected due to the high level of talent that competes inside the Octagon, but there are still a number of non-UFC fighters who found their way into the mix.

For those with too much free time, here are the top 99 fighters in MMA today.

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Ronda Rousey and the 5 Most Dangerous Submission Artists in MMA

Jiu-jitsu is as beautiful as it is dangerous. While many fans prefer to watch fighters swing for the fences and go for the knockout, there’s something that feels pure and a bit disturbing when you see a fighter lock up a tight armbar or put their…

Jiu-jitsu is as beautiful as it is dangerous.

While many fans prefer to watch fighters swing for the fences and go for the knockout, there’s something that feels pure and a bit disturbing when you see a fighter lock up a tight armbar or put their opponent to sleep with a guillotine.

While a fighter can get a bit lucky and land the right punch at the right time, either being the more technical fighter or capitalizing on your opponent’s mistakes earns a win by submission.

Some of the best fighters in the world prefer to use their grappling skills in favor of standing and trading on the feet, and the fighters on this list are the ones who have taken their ground game to a completely different level.

From Strikeforce champion Ronda Rousey to UFC rising star Paul Sass, the fighters on this list have become the most feared competitors inside the cage when the fight hits the floor.

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Benson Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar: 3 Reasons for a Trilogy

For the second time this year, Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar fought in one of the closest title fights in UFC history. The UFC 150 main event will likely go down in history with Lyoto Machida vs. Shogun Rua 1 and Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz as the…

For the second time this year, Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar fought in one of the closest title fights in UFC history.

The UFC 150 main event will likely go down in history with Lyoto Machida vs. Shogun Rua 1 and Carlos Condit vs. Nick Diaz as the most controversial title-fight decisions in the last five years, and we need to see these two go at it one more time.

I get that the lightweight division has been clogged full of guys looking to get a title shot for nearly two full years now, but we can’t blame Edgar, Henderson or Gray Maynard for putting on such closely contested and incredible fights.

It seems like the vast majority of MMA fans, fighters and journalists alike all thought that Edgar had done enough to earn the nod last night, and “The Answer” deserves another shot to show the world that he is truly the lightweight champion.

Here are three reasons why the UFC should book yet another immediate rematch.

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Yushin Okami: Is Okami Still a Top-10 Middleweight?

After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in his career, the pressure was definitely on Yushin Okami to walk away from UFC 150 with a victory. Buddy Roberts is unknown by the vast majority of MMA fans, and if Okami didn’t come out an…

After suffering back-to-back losses for the first time in his career, the pressure was definitely on Yushin Okami to walk away from UFC 150 with a victory.

Buddy Roberts is unknown by the vast majority of MMA fans, and if Okami didn’t come out and crush him, his days near the top of the division were over.

Fortunately for Okami, he was able to get the job done Saturday night.

In a vintage “Thunder” performance, Okami took his opponent down and beat him up over and over again, earning the stoppage in the second round.

The win puts Okami back on the right track in a middleweight division that is overflowing with title contenders, and he’ll likely face a decently big name in his next fight.

So where does Okami land on the middleweight ladder?

Probably a bit higher than a lot of people expect.

Okami has been one of the most underrated fighters in the UFC for a long time now, and he has wins over Mark Munoz and Alan Belcher to prove he can defeat top-level competition.

With an 11-4 UFC record, Okami has proven to be one of the best middleweights in the world over the last six years, and of his four losses, three have come at hands of Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen and Rich Franklin.

Michael Bisping, Vitor Belfort and Chris Weidman are well above Okami in the rankings at this point, but Okami seems to fit right inside the bottom half of the top 10 alongside guys like Belcher and Brian Stann.

After suffering two straight losses prior to this win over Roberts, expect Okami to have to defend his turf against fighters trying to jump into the top 10, (like he failed to do against Tim Boetsch).

But if he earns a few more wins, Okami will quickly find himself back in the top five in the division and could eventually earn himself another middleweight title shot.

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