Despite earning a first-round submission win over Ultimate Fighter veteran Bubba McDaniel in his promotional debut back in March, Sean Strickland still doesn’t necessarily identify himself as a UFC fighter.At least not on Facebook.“I’ll be honest – I’m really hard on myself with everything I do in fighting,” begins the unbeaten Riverside, California native. “I haven’t changed my Facebook status – my occupation – to Ultimate Fighting Championship yet because I feel like I have such a long road to go to prove to myself that I belong there and that I am a UFC fighter. It was a good fight, but to … Read the Full Article Here
Despite earning a first-round submission win over Ultimate Fighter veteran Bubba McDaniel in his promotional debut back in March, Sean Strickland still doesn’t necessarily identify himself as a UFC fighter.At least not on Facebook.“I’ll be honest – I’m really hard on myself with everything I do in fighting,” begins the unbeaten Riverside, California native. “I haven’t changed my Facebook status – my occupation – to Ultimate Fighting Championship yet because I feel like I have such a long road to go to prove to myself that I belong there and that I am a UFC fighter. It was a good fight, but to … Read the Full Article Here
The UFC will return to Germany for the first time in four years with this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card, which is headlined live on UFC FIGHT PASS by a bevy of top middleweight talent as Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi face off in the five-round main event while CB Dollaway takes on Francis Carmont in the co-main event of the evening. The show is stacked with international talent, including former Ultimate Fighter competitor Luke Barnatt making the short trip from England to Germany, while Tom Niinimaki looks to make it two in a row when he travels from his home country in Finland for the … Read the Full Article Here
The UFC will return to Germany for the first time in four years with this Saturday’s UFC Fight Night card, which is headlined live on UFC FIGHT PASS by a bevy of top middleweight talent as Mark Munoz and Gegard Mousasi face off in the five-round main event while CB Dollaway takes on Francis Carmont in the co-main event of the evening. The show is stacked with international talent, including former Ultimate Fighter competitor Luke Barnatt making the short trip from England to Germany, while Tom Niinimaki looks to make it two in a row when he travels from his home country in Finland for the … Read the Full Article Here
Off-season eating habits: “I’ll start making healthier choices for the first two or three weeks. After that, I start keeping track of how many cheat meals I’m eating each week and lowering that number—from seven to five to three and so on. “Then about six weeks before a fight, I start to count calories and create a lot of little paradigm shifts in my diet, which includes gradually reducing how many calories I’m eating. In that final week, I’ll only eat between 1,500 to 2,000 a day, dependingon what my energy needs are each day.”Post-fight eating habits: “When I’m three or four months from a fi … Read the Full Article Here
Off-season eating habits: “I’ll start making healthier choices for the first two or three weeks. After that, I start keeping track of how many cheat meals I’m eating each week and lowering that number—from seven to five to three and so on. “Then about six weeks before a fight, I start to count calories and create a lot of little paradigm shifts in my diet, which includes gradually reducing how many calories I’m eating. In that final week, I’ll only eat between 1,500 to 2,000 a day, dependingon what my energy needs are each day.”Post-fight eating habits: “When I’m three or four months from a fi … Read the Full Article Here
UFC 173 took place May 24, 2014 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Top-10 ranked bantamweights Takeya Mizugaki (20-7-2) and Francisco Rivera (10-3,1 NC) squared off on the night’s main card, which aired live on pay-per-view. Catch the video highlights above.
For more on Mizugaki’s win, follow the play-by-play by MMAFighting.com’s own Luke Thomas.
Round 1: The referee in charge of the action is Yves Lavigne. Both fighters open orthodox. Great left hook early from Rivera buckles the Japanese fighter for…
UFC 173 took place May 24, 2014 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Top-10 ranked bantamweights Takeya Mizugaki (20-7-2) and Francisco Rivera (10-3,1 NC) squared off on the night’s main card, which aired live on pay-per-view. Catch the video highlights above.
For more on Mizugaki’s win, follow the play-by-play by MMAFighting.com’s own Luke Thomas.
Round 1: The referee in charge of the action is Yves Lavigne. Both fighters open orthodox. Great left hook early from Rivera buckles the Japanese fighter for…
The relationship between Tito Ortiz and Dana White has remained one of the most combustible situations in mixed martial arts for more than a decade. And the bad blood doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.
During the UFC’s rapid rise to the …
The relationship between Tito Ortiz and Dana White has remained one of the most combustible situations in mixed martial arts for more than a decade. And the bad blood doesn’t seem to be letting up anytime soon.
During the UFC’s rapid rise to the forefront of combat sports in the mid-2000s, Ortiz was one of the organization’s brightest stars and held one of the highest profiles on the UFC roster. While his record-setting run as light heavyweight champion would end shortly after Zuffa purchased the struggling MMA promotion in 2001, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” would continue to play a key role in the Las Vegas-based operation’s success, as he was consistently involved in some of the biggest matchups that took place during the UFC boom in the aftermath of The Ultimate Fighter.
It was during this period when a rift between the former light heavyweight title holder and the UFC President began to surface, and the feud has continued at various levels of intensity ever since. While there have been periods of civility between the two men over the past 10 years, the better part of the past decade has found the MMA legend and UFC front man at odds.
From exchanging barbs in their respective interviews to an ill-fated boxing match that would never come to fruition, the grudge between White and Ortiz has consistently captivated the attention of MMA’s passionate fanbase.
Yet everything appeared to be settled between the two parties when Ortiz’s run in the UFC came to an end in 2012. The 39-year-old was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame leading up to his “rubber match” with Forrest Griffin at UFC 148, and despite losing a controversial decision on the judges’ scorecards, the light heavyweight staple seemed to be making his exit on good terms.
That said, the world of MMA is an unpredictable environment, and it didn’t take long before the feud between White and Ortiz reignited. The Punishment MMA founder came out of retirement to sign with Bellator last July and the beef between the two men has returned to its former glory in the 11 months that have followed.
Ortiz is coming fresh off a successful debut under the Bellator banner, where he earned a first-round submission victory over Alexander Shlemenko at Bellator 120 back on May 17 and brought a nearly two-year hiatus to an end. The ground-and-pound guru recently sat down with long-time MMA media staple Rick Lee to talk about his current situation with White and how he has dealt with the issues between them in the past.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Since it’s set that Jon Jones will defend his light heavyweight belt in a rematch against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 177, surging contender Daniel Cormier has no choice but to wait patiently for a call.
And while Gustafsson’s performance at UFC 165 so…
Since it’s set that Jon Jones will defend his light heavyweight belt in a rematch against Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 177, surging contender Daniel Cormier has no choice but to wait patiently for a call.
And while Gustafsson‘s performance at UFC 165 solidified his status at the top of the division, Cormier‘s remarkable rise to power in his five-year career makes him the most viable contender at 205 pounds.
Cormier continued his tirade and won in business-like fashion in the co-main event Saturday at UFC 173, ragdolling sixth-ranked light heavyweight Dan Henderson to improve to 15-0 overall and 12-0 in Zuffa,LLC bouts.
Cormier wasted little time after the fight in stating his case for a title shot, saying the following during the UFC 173 post-fight press conference: “I think I’ve earned a title shot. I’ve got five top-10 wins, and I’m undefeated. I haven’t lost a round. I haven’t lost a fight in two weight classes. I won the Strikeforce grand prix. My resume speaks for itself.”
Cormier is in his prime and knows his time at the top is limited
Unlike the 27-year-old Gustafsson, the 35-year-old Cormier, who’s only competed in his last two bouts at his natural weight of 205, genuinely believes he’s beginning to reach his athletic potential.
And as an elite athlete, Cormier is cognizant of the fact that he can’t maintain his current level of excellence as long as his counterparts in Gustafsson and Jones.
So if Cormier intends to dethrone Jones, the world’s best pound-for-pound fighter, then he knows he needs to do it soon.
Jones would enjoy a 12.5″ reach advantage over the former Olympic freestyle wrestler. The 26-year-old “Bones” also stands five inches taller than Cormier.
Gustafsson could use another tuneup fight
Obviously, Gustafsson‘s fans would scoff at the thought of “The Mauler” needing another win before securing a rematch with Bones.
But Gustafsson holds just one win over a current top-10 light heavyweight, Mauricio Rua, the eighth-ranked light heavyweight who has lost three of his last four bouts. And aside from Jones and Rua, The Mauler has only fought one current top-10 light heavyweight, teammate Phil Davis, who submitted Gustafsson at UFC 112.
Cormier, conversely, has defeated five top-10 ranked UFC fighters, four of whom were heavyweights. Before dropping to 205, Cormier earned lopsided wins over ranked heavyweight Antonio Silva (No. 4), Josh Barnett (No. 5), Roy Nelson (No. 9) and Frank Mir (No. 10).
Cormier presents a style matchup that we’ve yet to see against Bones
While Jones has fought and handled plenty of NCAA Division I wrestlers, none can claim to match the wrestling chops of former Oklahoma State University stalwart “DC.”
Jones has topped decorated wrestlers like Vladimir Matyushenko, Rashad Evans, Ryan Bader and ChaelSonnen, among others, in his 15-fight UFC career, surrendering just one takedown in that time.
Still, DC’s relentless style is more conducive for MMA, and he possesses a larger and more refined arsenal of techniques from his years of international experience.
Cormier, a two-time Olympian (2004 and 2008), has yet to surrender a takedown in 15 bouts. In his 12 bouts under the Zuffa,LLC umbrella, Cormier has amassed 18 takedowns. He’s also scored 29 guard passes and allowed none in that span.
Cormier‘s also proven to have superior speed and footwork for a 205-pounder, another variable that makes him a steeper type of challenge than Jones’ previous victims.
And as if Cormier doesn’t have every other aspect of the game down, he and his coaching staff at the American Kickboxing Academy have also mastered the art of preparing for fights.
Every fight DC’s in, it just seems like he knows precisely what his opponent’s going to do before he does it. But let’s not forget, that’s the name of the game in MMA.
Since it’s set that