Find out why the main card of UFC Halifax should be worth staying up for, including action fighters Paul Felder and Sam Sicilia and former title contender Sara McMann all in action.
Admittedly this card feels a bit underwhelming… just like every other card we’ve seen since the beginning of the year. Still, there is reason to tune in to the main card outside of the headlining fights. Seriously, stop laughing. Paul Felder is one of the better action-fighters the UFC has picked up in recent years. Sara McMann is receiving an opportunity to showcase her skills and make a case to receive a title shot before the end of the year — as implausible as it sounds. Even Sam Sicilia, who has hit a rough patch, is almost always fun to watch whether he’s doing the finishing or getting finished himself.
You’re asking about Elias Theodorou and Cezar Ferreira? Well… Theodorou does have one of the best Twitter personalities in the fight business and Cezar Ferreira’s career resurgence is a nice story, but I fear that stylistically, it could be a snoozer. Only time will tell, but that would be the contest to consider an extended bathroom break if needed.
The main card begins at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on FS1,.
Sicilia is lucky to have a job given the round of cuts last week, as he is riding a two-fight losing streak. I can’t see him surviving a third consecutive loss, so he’d better be able to put together an impressive performance against relatively unknown newcomer Tucker.
The reason Tucker is unknown is a lack of footage of his contests. Snippets here and there can be found, but I could only find in its entirety is his professional debut over five years-ago. He appears to be well-rounded with the ability to either stand and trade or take the fight to the ground without a major preference for either phase. Possessing a background in Muay Thai, Tucker’s striking appears to be diverse enough as he ended his last contest early with a head kick. On the ground, he shows smooth transitions in scrambles and has picked up a couple of finishes by armbar.
Sicilia’s game isn’t as diverse, though it could be stated that it is more dangerous. Possessing an incredible amount of power in his right hand, Sicilia has progressed from being a head hunter to a solid boxer. He has a solid wrestling base too, though he tends to use that to keep the fight standing rather than threaten to go to the ground, especially as of late. Sicilia has also had a tendency to not bother defending shots to the body or legs, something you can expect Tucker to take full advantage of.
Even though I haven’t see a lot of footage on Tucker, Sicilia appears to be moving backwards in his career as he hasn’t continued to adapt. Opponents have figured him out and given Tucker’s killer instinct, I expect he’ll find a finish one way or another. Tucker via submission of RD2
Elias Theodorou (12-1) vs. Cezar Ferreira (11-5), Middleweight
Considering most people don’t give a damn about TUF anymore, it’s easy to forget both Theodorou and Ferreira are former winners of the once prestigious tournament. Now it seems a strong probability that the winner will get a crack at a ranked opponent.
Ferreira’s recent run has been highly improbable. After a stretch of four fights in which he was KO’d three times in the first round, most believed that Ferreira’s chin had completely evaporated. He then faced a string of three opponents known for their striking prowess, leaving most to predict Ferreira would end up sleeping on the canvas at some point. Instead, Ferreira’s newfound focus on well-timed takedowns and grappling control has led to a three-fight winning streak. He’s also adopted a focus on defense in his striking, countering rather than trying to blitz his opponent as he had been prone to do in the past.
Theodorou is the first opponent thought of as a grappler first that Ferreira has faced since his recent revitalization. That doesn’t mean the Canadian doesn’t have any striking prowess. He owns a wide variety of kicks from a distance that don’t offer much in terms of damage, but help him to maintain space. Theodorou is also overpowering in the clinch, either searching for a takedown or wearing down the opposition with knees and dirty boxing. He does tend to struggle in the pocket, but usually does a good job avoiding his weak area. On the ground, he is relentless with his striking, though he does struggle to maintain positional control.
Though I’m going to be picking Theodorou, I have to admit that Ferreira has turned into a highly intelligent strategist. Can he devise a game plan to pull off another upset? Theodorou has greater physical gifts than any of Ferreira’s previous victims. I think Ferreira has finally hit his ceiling, though it should be noted that he has proven me wrong before. Theodorou via decision
Originally scheduled to be a contest between former title challengers in McMann and Liz Carmouche, Carmouche pulled up lame and now Mazany fills in. Though I usually try to provide some reasoning as to why the underdog could pull off the upset, I’m struggling to find that here. Seriously, it feels that lopsided.
Mazany’s career path has been anything but orthodox. Her professional debut came in 2008, she’s had layoffs of four and three years in between fights. Footage has been exceptionally difficult to find on her besides her attempt to make the TUF house in 2013… and that was a drubbing at the hands of Julianna Pena where the only thing she showed was toughness. As for her perfect professional record, it came at the expense of women who own a combined record of 2-8. She did finish three of them in the first round, indicating she is dominating opponents she should be dominating.
On the other side of the spectrum, McMann is one of the most experienced women in terms of high level competition and I’m not just referring to her UFC experience. The Olympic wrestling silver medalist has evolved into a capable if somewhat stiff boxer with an overpowering clinch, making her more than a one-dimensional grinder that many saw her as upon her UFC inception. Her BJJ skills have been questioned, though she looked much improved as she cinched in as skilled of an arm-triangle choke as I’ve seen in recent memory over Alexis Davis. Even at 36, she’s still one of the better athletes in the division.
I wish I could offer more insight into what Mazany is capable of, but I can’t do that without talking out of my ass. McMann has offered steady growth, providing her best showings in each of her last two contests in hopes of getting another title shot. Coupled with Mazany’s lack of experience against quality competition, I see this as an easy victory for McMann. McMann via TKO of RD2
I know what you’re thinking. This contest makes no sense. Felder is an established UFC talent whose only losses have come against even more established UFC talents. Ricci is coming off his UFC debut as a short notice injury replacement. Why put these two together? Injuries. Felder was scheduled to face Gilbert Burns at UFC 208 and Ricci was supposed to face Alvaro Herrera. Rather than add more bodies to an already bloated roster, the UFC decided to pair them up.
Ricci, a veteran of the Canadian circuit, didn’t look so hot in his debut, fighting tentatively against a smaller Jeremy Kennedy. Perhaps his short camp had something to do with it, though others would say that being cautious is part of his nature. A Muay Thai practitioner, Ricci’s best weapon is his variety of kicks from the outside and knees in the clinch. He isn’t a bad counter puncher either, but doesn’t throw with enough volume or power to garner respect from his opponent.
Felder has developed a reputation as one of the most entertaining lightweights on the roster, largely due to his highlight reel KO of Danny Castillo off of a spinning back fist. Spinning back kicks are another staple of his attack, but the flash seems to distract fans from recognizing what a technically sound striker Felder actually is. Like Ricci, Felder is a counter striker who can fall into long bouts of inactivity. Unlike Ricci, Felder has some serious power in his fists if he is able to land clean. Though Felder rarely looks to take the fight to the ground himself, he’s got an unappreciated ground game focused on getting back to his feet.
There are a lot of stylistic similarities between these two. The main difference is that Felder is the younger, more powerful, more athletic, and bigger version of him. It could have a number of fun exchanges, but look for Felder to emerge the victory either with a KO or a comfortable decision. Felder via decision
Find out why the main card of UFC Halifax should be worth staying up for, including action fighters Paul Felder and Sam Sicilia and former title contender Sara McMann all in action.
Admittedly this card feels a bit underwhelming… just like every other card we’ve seen since the beginning of the year. Still, there is reason to tune in to the main card outside of the headlining fights. Seriously, stop laughing. Paul Felder is one of the better action-fighters the UFC has picked up in recent years. Sara McMann is receiving an opportunity to showcase her skills and make a case to receive a title shot before the end of the year — as implausible as it sounds. Even Sam Sicilia, who has hit a rough patch, is almost always fun to watch whether he’s doing the finishing or getting finished himself.
You’re asking about Elias Theodorou and Cezar Ferreira? Well… Theodorou does have one of the best Twitter personalities in the fight business and Cezar Ferreira’s career resurgence is a nice story, but I fear that stylistically, it could be a snoozer. Only time will tell, but that would be the contest to consider an extended bathroom break if needed.
The main card begins at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT on FS1,.
Sicilia is lucky to have a job given the round of cuts last week, as he is riding a two-fight losing streak. I can’t see him surviving a third consecutive loss, so he’d better be able to put together an impressive performance against relatively unknown newcomer Tucker.
The reason Tucker is unknown is a lack of footage of his contests. Snippets here and there can be found, but I could only find in its entirety is his professional debut over five years-ago. He appears to be well-rounded with the ability to either stand and trade or take the fight to the ground without a major preference for either phase. Possessing a background in Muay Thai, Tucker’s striking appears to be diverse enough as he ended his last contest early with a head kick. On the ground, he shows smooth transitions in scrambles and has picked up a couple of finishes by armbar.
Sicilia’s game isn’t as diverse, though it could be stated that it is more dangerous. Possessing an incredible amount of power in his right hand, Sicilia has progressed from being a head hunter to a solid boxer. He has a solid wrestling base too, though he tends to use that to keep the fight standing rather than threaten to go to the ground, especially as of late. Sicilia has also had a tendency to not bother defending shots to the body or legs, something you can expect Tucker to take full advantage of.
Even though I haven’t see a lot of footage on Tucker, Sicilia appears to be moving backwards in his career as he hasn’t continued to adapt. Opponents have figured him out and given Tucker’s killer instinct, I expect he’ll find a finish one way or another. Tucker via submission of RD2
Elias Theodorou (12-1) vs. Cezar Ferreira (11-5), Middleweight
Considering most people don’t give a damn about TUF anymore, it’s easy to forget both Theodorou and Ferreira are former winners of the once prestigious tournament. Now it seems a strong probability that the winner will get a crack at a ranked opponent.
Ferreira’s recent run has been highly improbable. After a stretch of four fights in which he was KO’d three times in the first round, most believed that Ferreira’s chin had completely evaporated. He then faced a string of three opponents known for their striking prowess, leaving most to predict Ferreira would end up sleeping on the canvas at some point. Instead, Ferreira’s newfound focus on well-timed takedowns and grappling control has led to a three-fight winning streak. He’s also adopted a focus on defense in his striking, countering rather than trying to blitz his opponent as he had been prone to do in the past.
Theodorou is the first opponent thought of as a grappler first that Ferreira has faced since his recent revitalization. That doesn’t mean the Canadian doesn’t have any striking prowess. He owns a wide variety of kicks from a distance that don’t offer much in terms of damage, but help him to maintain space. Theodorou is also overpowering in the clinch, either searching for a takedown or wearing down the opposition with knees and dirty boxing. He does tend to struggle in the pocket, but usually does a good job avoiding his weak area. On the ground, he is relentless with his striking, though he does struggle to maintain positional control.
Though I’m going to be picking Theodorou, I have to admit that Ferreira has turned into a highly intelligent strategist. Can he devise a game plan to pull off another upset? Theodorou has greater physical gifts than any of Ferreira’s previous victims. I think Ferreira has finally hit his ceiling, though it should be noted that he has proven me wrong before. Theodorou via decision
Originally scheduled to be a contest between former title challengers in McMann and Liz Carmouche, Carmouche pulled up lame and now Mazany fills in. Though I usually try to provide some reasoning as to why the underdog could pull off the upset, I’m struggling to find that here. Seriously, it feels that lopsided.
Mazany’s career path has been anything but orthodox. Her professional debut came in 2008, she’s had layoffs of four and three years in between fights. Footage has been exceptionally difficult to find on her besides her attempt to make the TUF house in 2013… and that was a drubbing at the hands of Julianna Pena where the only thing she showed was toughness. As for her perfect professional record, it came at the expense of women who own a combined record of 2-8. She did finish three of them in the first round, indicating she is dominating opponents she should be dominating.
On the other side of the spectrum, McMann is one of the most experienced women in terms of high level competition and I’m not just referring to her UFC experience. The Olympic wrestling silver medalist has evolved into a capable if somewhat stiff boxer with an overpowering clinch, making her more than a one-dimensional grinder that many saw her as upon her UFC inception. Her BJJ skills have been questioned, though she looked much improved as she cinched in as skilled of an arm-triangle choke as I’ve seen in recent memory over Alexis Davis. Even at 36, she’s still one of the better athletes in the division.
I wish I could offer more insight into what Mazany is capable of, but I can’t do that without talking out of my ass. McMann has offered steady growth, providing her best showings in each of her last two contests in hopes of getting another title shot. Coupled with Mazany’s lack of experience against quality competition, I see this as an easy victory for McMann. McMann via TKO of RD2
I know what you’re thinking. This contest makes no sense. Felder is an established UFC talent whose only losses have come against even more established UFC talents. Ricci is coming off his UFC debut as a short notice injury replacement. Why put these two together? Injuries. Felder was scheduled to face Gilbert Burns at UFC 208 and Ricci was supposed to face Alvaro Herrera. Rather than add more bodies to an already bloated roster, the UFC decided to pair them up.
Ricci, a veteran of the Canadian circuit, didn’t look so hot in his debut, fighting tentatively against a smaller Jeremy Kennedy. Perhaps his short camp had something to do with it, though others would say that being cautious is part of his nature. A Muay Thai practitioner, Ricci’s best weapon is his variety of kicks from the outside and knees in the clinch. He isn’t a bad counter puncher either, but doesn’t throw with enough volume or power to garner respect from his opponent.
Felder has developed a reputation as one of the most entertaining lightweights on the roster, largely due to his highlight reel KO of Danny Castillo off of a spinning back fist. Spinning back kicks are another staple of his attack, but the flash seems to distract fans from recognizing what a technically sound striker Felder actually is. Like Ricci, Felder is a counter striker who can fall into long bouts of inactivity. Unlike Ricci, Felder has some serious power in his fists if he is able to land clean. Though Felder rarely looks to take the fight to the ground himself, he’s got an unappreciated ground game focused on getting back to his feet.
There are a lot of stylistic similarities between these two. The main difference is that Felder is the younger, more powerful, more athletic, and bigger version of him. It could have a number of fun exchanges, but look for Felder to emerge the victory either with a KO or a comfortable decision. Felder via decision
Aldo launches a blistering attack on McGregor stating that the UFC lightweight champion’s reputation is “bruised”. Aldo is most recently remembered for his stunning knockout loss in 13 seconds against McGregor at UFC 194. “Scarface” lost his UFC featherweight crown to “The Notorious” and suffered his only UFC loss at the fight in December 2015. […]
Aldo launches a blistering attack on McGregor stating that the UFC lightweight champion’s reputation is “bruised”. Aldo is most recently remembered for his stunning knockout loss in 13 seconds against McGregor at UFC 194. “Scarface” lost his UFC featherweight crown to “The Notorious” and suffered his only UFC loss at the fight in December 2015. […]
Following Ronda Rousey’s devastating 48-second TKO loss to Amanda Nunes in the main event of December 30’s UFC 207 from Las Vegas, most (if not close to all) MMA fans thought if Rousey was ever to step back into a MMA cage, she would have to ditch her longtime coach Edmond Tarverdyan in order to
Following Ronda Rousey’s devastating 48-second TKO loss to Amanda Nunes in the main event of December 30’s UFC 207 from Las Vegas, most (if not close to all) MMA fans thought if Rousey was ever to step back into a MMA cage, she would have to ditch her longtime coach Edmond Tarverdyan in order to find anything closely resembling success.
Many also echoed that sentiment for Rousey’s boyfriend, UFC heavyweight Travis Browne, who had lost four out of his last six previous bouts under Tarverdyan’s tutelage, with his only two wins coming over two fighters who are no longer in the UFC. His fans – or at least those that were left – were happy to see news arrive that Browne was headed to Blackhouse MMA towards the end of January.
But Browne was quick to refute the notion Tarverdyan was no longer in his corner, issuing a lengthy response suggesting people just didn’t get it. Most expected Tarverdyan, for better or worse, to be in “Hapa’s” corner for his pivotal bout against surging contender Derrick Lewis in the main event of this Sunday’s (Feb. 19, 2017) UFC Fight Night 105 from Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia, but apparently that’s not the case, either.
Tarverdyan will not corner Browne in the must-win fight according to MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, who clarified it would be kickboxing champion and WSOF President Ray Sefo, along with wrestling coach Ricky Lundell, in Browne’s corner:
Travis Browne confirmed to me that Edmond Tarverdyan will NOT be in his corner at #UFCHalifax. Ray Sefo & Ricky Lundell get the assignment.
A strange set of circumstances to be certain, as it appeared to be nothing more than a foregone conclusion that Browne had left the troubled Tarverdyan before backing him up significantly, and now word arrives he won’t use services.
Clearly something is amiss in the Glendale Fighting Club, something that’s not surprising given the fact that Tarverdyan is facing a lengthy list of legal troubles that could see the gym being foreclosed upon.
As for Browne, he’s dangerously close to losing his spot on the UFC roster, and most would blame Tarverdyan for that mess considering the powerful slugger was one of the heavyweight division’s top fighters while under the guidance of Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn.
Many will view Browne’s corner change as an overwhelmingly positive one. Will it lead to positive results against the ultra-dangerous Lewis this weekend?
Last weekend Phillipe Nover dropped a decision to Rick Glenn on the undercard of UFC 208. The fight loss must’ve been bitter sweet because even though he didn’t get the W, he got to fight in front of his home crowd in Brooklyn, NY. This wednesday Nover decided it was one loss too many and decided to retire from the sport via instagram.
Last weekend Phillipe Nover dropped another close decision to Rick Glenn on the undercard of UFC 208. The loss was however was bittersweet, even though Nover didn’t get the W, he did get to realize a lifelong dream of fighting in front of his home crowd of Brooklyn, NY. This wednesday Nover decided it was one loss too many and gracefully bowed out from the sport via instagram.
Nover was one of those guys that had all the potential but for some reason things just never came together. A superstar in the TUF house, Nover won all three fights by submission only losing to Efrain Escudero in the TUF 8 finale.
A post shared by #PhillipeNover (@phillipenover) onFeb 15, 2017 at 12:53pm PST
The 33 year old Filipino grappler was originally cut from the UFC back in 2010, but fought his way back by winning five out of six fights in Bellator and smaller circuits. He began his second stint in 2015 only to go 1-3 with all his losses coming via decision. Although a durable fighter, many say his achilles heel was his inability to finish fights. Either way, Nover came to fight every time he stepped into the octagon and no one could deny that he was a true warrior. We wish him the best of luck in all future endeavours.
Do you guys think this was the right move or did Nover sell himself short?
After the controversy surrounding the UFC for granting an exemption from the four-month window to former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to come back and fight Mark Hunt at UFC 200 last July, which led to Lesnar failing two drug tests for PEDS, The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which partners with the UFC, has revised its
After the controversy surrounding the UFC for granting an exemption from the four-month window to former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar to come back and fight Mark Hunt at UFC 200 last July, which led to Lesnar failing two drug tests for PEDS, The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which partners with the UFC, has revised its anti-doping rules. USADA has made some big changes that will make it easier for a new fighter as well as one who has been released to return to octagon while making it more difficult for those who are coming out of retirement. The news rules go into effect April 1.
“The policy updates announced today are a direct reflection of our experiences, and the feedback we’ve received – from both athletes and the UFC – all of which we believe will give further confidence to competitors that they can step into the Octagon, compete clean and win,” USADA spokesperson Ryan Madden told MMAjunkie in a prepared statement.
Pending cases will still be subject to the previous iteration of the rules except in certain cases where the current rules “would be more beneficial to the athlete or other person” or an arbitrator decided the circumstances of a case warranted using the new one. There’s no doubt, USADA is adapting based on the situations it’s encountered since the UFC anti-doping policy was put into effect in July 2015.
A returning fighter will be tested for four months. Those fighters who’ve been cut also need one month’s worth of testing, but the rule can be waived in the case. Newly signed fighters will still be tested for one month before being able to fight. When it comes to a fighter coming out of retirement, things get more hard as the four-month window has now been extended to six months, with USADA requiring a written notice of intent to return. Fighters who have a history of performance-enhancing drug use may have to give two clean drug tests during that window.
At the end of the day, the change signals that USADA is getting more serious about letting returning fighters to attempt the same issues that they had with Lesnar. Keep in mind that USADA retains the right to waive the six-month window in “exceptional circumstances or where the strict application of that rule would be manifestly unfair to an athlete.” The in-competition period starts at noon the day before a UFC event and ends after a fighter has been tested. USADA now has up to one hour after a fighter has been medically cleared to get an in-competition sample.
USADA also is backing off on the definition of people who are prohibited from associating with a suspended athlete following them warning Valerie Letourneau for training with Hector Lombard in preparation for her bout against Joanna Jedrzejczyk at UFC 193.
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva won a controversial decision over Derek Brunson at UFC 208, which marked Silva’s first official win since 2012. However, many fans, as well as fighters, were surprised that he got his hand raised. Although he said after the bout that he is an old man, he insisted that he’ll
Former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva won a controversial decision over Derek Brunson at UFC 208, which marked Silva’s first official win since 2012. However, many fans, as well as fighters, were surprised that he got his hand raised. Although he said after the bout that he is an old man, he insisted that he’ll continue to fight because it’s in his heart.
Current UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping gave his thoughts on Silva during his SiriusXM radio show on Thursday. He voiced his concern that Silva is letting down as well as disrespecting fans who pay to watch him by fighting without being able to finish his opponents anymore.
“What Anderson was doing was just kind of stalking him down and not doing anything. He was kind of disrespecting everybody there, disrespecting his opponent. At the time he grabbed the Thai clinch on Derek Brunson, had the Thai clinch, but didn’t do anything. Didn’t throw an elbow, certainly didn’t throw a knee and he allowed Brunson to just tee off with like 10-, 15-punch combinations to Anderson Silva whilst Anderson just held him. It was just bizarre, and I’m watching this thinking, ‘Anderson’s gonna get knocked out because he’s holding onto this stupid, dumb Thai clinch.’ The one time – or the couple of times – where Anderson actually threw something, Brunson turned around and literally ran away from him. You could see he was a little intimidated, he was a little bewildered, he didn’t know quite what to do. All in all, you could see that Anderson was the better fighter, but he just didn’t pull the trigger. He didn’t pull the trigger at all. People were booing in the audience, people were annoyed, people were pissed off. They paid to watch the fantastic Anderson Silva, and he just wasn’t delivering.”
This isn’t the first time that Silva has been critiqued for delivering lackluster performance. Examples of that include his fights with Thales Leites and Demian Maia. Silva, at the height of his popularity, was finishing folks, but after Silva’s performance during his fight with Maia, UFC President Dana White even threatened to cut Silva if he continued to “dance” versus opponents.
Bisping believes that Silva’s magic isn’t showing up anymore and that it is jeopardizing his legacy as the greatest fighter of all-time.
“I’m not trying to kick a man while he’s down, I’m really not. I bought the pay-per-view to watch Anderson Silva. Regardless of what’s happened between the two of us, I’m a fan of Anderson Silva, and he still always brings that excitement. Even still, right up until the final bell of the 15 minutes fight you still thought, ‘Hold on, is he gonna pull something amazing out of the bag?’ But he didn’t and what he did was, he allowed Brunson to outwork him so when he went to a decision, everybody thought Derek Brunson was gonna get the decision. Of course, it went to Anderson Silva which was shocking, and I guess maybe you could see an argument for Anderson winning rounds one and two, but it was just a bizarre performance and his legacy is slowly turning into that of somebody that’s – well he’s tarnishing his legacy. Let’s put it like that.”
