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UFC on Fuel 3 Results: Donald Cerrone Needs a Big-Name Opponent in Next Fight

Donald Cerrone showed up at UFC on Fuel 3 last night to prove himself and promise his future in the UFC. By the end of his bout with Jeremy Stephens, he had done just that. Cerrone defeated Stephens by unanimous decision, and in the end he displayed th…

Donald Cerrone showed up at UFC on Fuel 3 last night to prove himself and promise his future in the UFC. By the end of his bout with Jeremy Stephens, he had done just that.

Cerrone defeated Stephens by unanimous decision, and in the end he displayed the textbook striking we’d all hoped to watch. From the beginning, Cerrone dominated his opponent with kicks and knees, utilizing every bit of his reach to keep Stephens limited to single strikes. By Round 2, Cerrone had paved his way to victory using various strikes, and the Muay Thai specialist gave us the striking battle we’d hoped for.

However, the battle was so weighted in favor of Cerrone, we’re obliged to consider him a reasonable contender in the lightweight division.

The problem is we can’t do this without recalling his previous fight, one that ended in a loss against Nate Diaz at UFC 141. Diaz met Cerrone at his strengths, content to engage in the striking that Cerrone was known for since his days in the WEC. Not only was Cerrone supposed to be the superior wrestler, he was also thought to be the more technical striker. His kicking was promising, often knocking Diaz off balance if not knocking him down. In the end, though, Cerrone took more shots than he landed, and Diaz outstruck Cerrone with terrific combinations for three rounds.

But Cerrone displayed nothing but command last night. Furthermore, he was able to reestablish his headway in the organization as he extended his record in the UFC to 5-1 and his overall record to 18-4-0-1 NC. Now, regardless of that loss to Diaz, it’s impossible to count Cerrone out of the future title contenders of the lightweight division.

For that reason, Cerrone needs to stay in the mix by meeting other top-ranked lightweights. One of the most likely candidates is another ex-WEC fighter, Anthony Pettis. Pettis presents a stand-up challenge that will allow Cerrone to prove his striking—a challenge that Cerrone is absolutely capable of meeting. What’s more, Pettis has a history of fights with some of the best in the lightweight division (including his victory over Benson Henderson, the current UFC lightweight champion, while they were members of the WEC).

Whoever the fighter, the point is simple: Cerrone is quickly becoming one of the top-ranked lightweights, and his solid victory over Stephens proved his striking capabilities. Furthermore, Cerrone has a history that shows an effective ground game, making him a more versatile fighter than his recent stand-up matches against Diaz and Stephens might illustrate.

Because of his recent performance, Cerrone needs to be thrown into the mix of ranked lightweight fighters. Given Cerrone’s ability to dominate a number of other lightweights and Diaz’s spot as the title contender, I’ll argue that Diaz-Cerrone II will happen only after Cerrone meets other ranked lightweights like Pettis.

In a sport where rematches are more than welcome, especially to settle technical bouts like Diaz vs. Cerrone, I assume fans and the organization will happily entertain the thought of the fighters meeting again.

Nonetheless, Cerrone needs to have his name placed among the other lightweight contenders soon, and this mix begins with his next big-name opponent in the division.

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UFC on Fuel 3: Predicting the Winners of the Post-Fight Bonuses

UFC on Fuel 3 will be an early-week treat for MMA fans. Can’t ask for much more on a Tuesday night than a full card of fights on free television. The card features some intriguing matchups, starting with TUF Season 12 guillotine magician…

UFC on Fuel 3 will be an early-week treat for MMA fans. Can’t ask for much more on a Tuesday night than a full card of fights on free television.

The card features some intriguing matchups, starting with TUF Season 12 guillotine magician Cody Mckenzie, who had won 10 straight fights by guillotine choke until his two setbacks in the UFC, vs. Marcus Levesseur in his UFC debut.

Another intriguing matchup will feature UFC Veteran Jason McDonald in his 14th fight in the organization against Tom Lawlor, who will be making his sixth appearance in the Octagon.

Another fighter who is no stranger to the Octagon, Jeremy Stephens, will be taking on Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone. Cowboy has a combined 10-4 record in his Zuffa Career and has taken on some of the best in both the WEC and UFC.

TUF Season 7 veteran and part-time UFC promoter and commentator Amir Sadollah will take on Jorge Lopez in an intriguing welterweight matchup. Lopez only has a loss to Justin Edwards on his UFC résumé; however, he had a 10-fight win streak before he joined the organization and will be looking to prove that he can get a victory on the sport’s biggest stage.

In the main event, Chan Sung Jung, better known by his nickname “The Korean Zombie,” will take on Dustin Porier. The Korean Zombie lost his last two fights in the WEC but is 2-0 since joining the UFC. He won by a rare twister submission against Leonard Garcia and then knocked out Mark Hominic seven seconds into Round 1. Porier, another WEC transfer, is 4-0 in the UFC and has recently won by two submissions of his own.

Going into every UFC card, each fighter has an extreme incentive to win his fight. However, there is also that little extra incentive, which offers a large financial reward, if they can earn a post-fight bonus by either getting the best knockout of the night, submission of the night or being involved in the fight of the night.

Here are my predictions for the fighters who will bring home an extra check next Tuesday night.

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UFC on FOX 3 Fallout: Nate Diaz Doesn’t Deserve Title Shot, Anthony Pettis Does

We are all guilty of being prisoners of the moment at certain points, and if you believe that Nate Diaz deserves the lightweight championship title fight more than Anthony Pettis, you are a prisoner of the moment.Don’t get me wrong, Diaz had a great sh…

Don’t get me wrong, Diaz had a great showing against one of the top opponents at 155 in Jim Miller. He’s tough as nails and even harder to stop.

However, let’s not forget that “Showtime” Pettis has not only beaten the current champion at lightweight, but is coming off of a spectacular head-kick-Knockout-of-the-Night performance. What else could you want?

I’m of the mind that all current fighters are only as good as their last five fights, and with that said, just look at the fact that in his last five fights, Anthony Pettis is 4-1, while Diaz is 3-2.

Pettis has also received a Knockout of the Night thanks to his Decapitation of Joe Lauzon, Submission of the Night thanks to a Triangle Choke with only nine seconds remaining in the fight, then won a Fight of the Night performance in which he caught current lightweight champ Ben Henderson with a spectacular kick off of the cage.

Add all of this to the fact that Anthony Pettis was promised a championship match almost two years ago and it’s almost as if Showtime is becoming the 155-lb version of what John Fitch was. Continues to win but continues to be overlooked.

Whatever the deal, there’s just no way that Diaz deserves the title shot more that Pettis. It’s the fair thing to do, it’s the right thing to do, and it would actually make for the better lineup of future fights.

Who wouldn’t love to see Henderson vs. Pettis 2, and Edgar vs. Diaz? There’s always good money to be made in a semi-feud and this could be the one that the lightweight division has been waiting on since BJ Penn left.

So do the right thing, Dana. Give the title shot to the man who deserves it most, and put Nate in a contenders match for now. Let’s not be prisoners of the moment, let’s look at the entire picture.

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UFC on FOX 3: Nate Diaz vs Anthony Pettis Should Determine Next Title Contender

After a few years of struggling to find consistency in both the lightweight and welterweight division, Nate Diaz proved he now belongs among the elite fighters at 155 pounds.Diaz earned a dominant victory over Jim Miller this past weekend at UFC on FOX…

After a few years of struggling to find consistency in both the lightweight and welterweight division, Nate Diaz proved he now belongs among the elite fighters at 155 pounds.

Diaz earned a dominant victory over Jim Miller this past weekend at UFC on FOX 3 and his third consecutive victory in his last five bouts, leading some fans to believe he is next in line to receive a title shot.

While Diaz’s performance was certainly impressive enough to convince fans of his potential in the lightweight division, it was wasn’t necessarily enough to earn him a title shot yet.

Diaz is obviously talented and his recent wins over Takanori Gomi, Donald Cerrone and Miller are evident that he can be a threat to either Benson Henderson or Frankie Edgar. However, there is still one challenger left who some feel should deserve a title opportunity especially since he currently owns a victory over the champion: Anthony Pettis.

With Henderson and Edgar expected to meet sometime this fall and Diaz waiting on the winner, it won’t be until early-mid 2013 until the Stockton, Calif. native steps back into the Octagon. That would leave Pettis open as a valuable opponent and another top name for either competitor to earn a victory over in order to cement their status as a top contender.

Plus, Pettis is already making his claim as the No. 1 contender at 155 pounds and called out Diaz during the post-fight show on FUEL TV.

Stylistically, this could be one of the most exciting bouts of the year.

The lightweight division is currently stagnant and a possible bout between Pettis and Diaz would officially determine the next title contender. And with no other significant bout surfacing momentarily, this matchup makes perfect sense and the UFC shouldn’t waste any time in booking it.

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What!? What!? What is next for Nate Diaz?

IQ or sperm count? No, I mean FUCK YOU!

According to Dana White and Nate Diaz himself, the newly declared #1 contender for the light-weight division stated at the UFC on FOX post-fight press conference that he will wait for the winner of the pending Ben Henderson VS Frankie Edgar bout. Just prior to the Jim Miller VS Nate Diaz contest, the rumor mill began to swirl that Edgar had injured his nose in training and the upcoming rematch with BenDo was going to get pushed back until later this year in the September-November area. If that is the case, Diaz is going to be sitting for the next several months.

According to the official UFC twitter account:
“Dana says Diaz will wait for the title shot. He had the option to fight Pettis first if he wanted to stay busy but it was never mandated.”

Fair enough, I suppose, but if Nate is going to wait until after the scheduled championship rematch and then linger until the winner heals, we are conservatively looking at March of 2013 or later before he competes again. That is a pretty long lay-off for a competitor that had 4 fights in 2011. Not only did he compete 4 times last year, he mixed a change of weight-class in between the two. Since being dominated by Rory MacDonald, Diaz has destroyed Takanori Gomi, Donald Cerrone and Jim Miller while raking in 2 “submission of the night” bonuses plus a “fight of the night” check as well.

IQ or sperm count? No, I mean FUCK YOU!

According to the official UFC twitter account:
“Dana says Diaz will wait for the title shot. He had the option to fight Pettis first if he wanted to stay busy but it was never mandated.”

With that being said . . . . . What about Anthony Pettis? After his destruction of Joe Lauzon in February he seemed to be the heir apparent to the #1 contender spot. It appears that it is just tough luck for a guy that has already beaten the current UFC light-weight champ and now he is going to have to take another tough fight just to maintain his ranking within the UFC. It may seem like sour grapes but DW announced prior to the UFC on FOX 3 matches that Diaz would become the #1 contender with a victory.

Doesn’t it seem logical that Diaz VS Pettis would be the obvious match booked on the same fight card just prior to the main event during the Bendo VS Edgar rematch PPV? Whoever wins their perspective fights would have to compete on the same night and then know who they would be fighting next. No showers post fight for the winner of Diaz VS Pettis. In fact, make the winner do commentary while watching the main event. It couldn’t be worse than Jeff Blatnick or Jim Brown back in the old days

It’s a pipe dream, I know. I just have a few questions for the Potato Nation.
Though he earned it, should Diaz sit out for the next 8-10 months (ala Condit) even though he is on a wrecking spree?
Who should Pettis fight in the mean time?
Once Gilbert Meledez is given a UFC contract, is he going to spoil the party in the light-weight division because he and Diaz are teammates?
Do you like leopard print?

– Nathan “The12ozCurls” Smith

Diego Sanchez May Go Back to Lightweight, Wants Fight with Anthony Pettis

Diego Sanchez was once considered one of the hottest lightweight prospects in the world. But after a 2009 loss in a title fight with then-champion B.J. Penn, Sanchez made the decision to move back to welterweight.It wasn’t the best move in the world. S…

It wasn’t the best move in the world. Sanchez is undersized at 170 pounds, and his 2-2 record is evidence that he’s not fighting in his optimal weight class.

That may change soon, however. Sanchez told MMAjunkie.com that he’s considering a move back to lightweight:

I really try to lift weights, but the shoulder injury sort of set me back. As I heal up, my body’s going to get a little smaller, so I might just go down to 155.

The last time I was at 155, I was just a wreck. Mentally, I was still young and partying a lot, and I was still smoking weed. I was just a wild child. Now that I’m grounded and have my life together and am married, I’m just focused. So maybe 155 might be a better weight for me.

Sanchez even has an opponent in mind: Anthony Pettis. It’s not the perfect matchup, at least when it comes to Zuffa matchmaking sensibilities. Joe Silva isn’t a big fan of pairing one fighter coming off a win with another coming off a loss.

So while the fight may not make sense from a logical matchmaking standpoint, it sure makes sense from the “that fight would be awesome” standpoint. Pettis is perennially near a title shot, but he’ll have to wait until at least late 2012 or early 2013 before he could secure a shot at the belt.

Benson Henderson and Frankie Edgar will face off one more time late this summer, and the winner of the May fight between Jim Miller and Nate Diaz is expected to get the winner.

So that leaves Pettis in a familiar place. He’s not going to wait around for a title shot, and so he’ll take a fight in the meantime. He needs to face someone with a good track record, but he also needs to secure a win over a big name in order to bolster himself as a potential pay-per-view draw for the company.

Sanchez fits that bill. Sure, he’s coming off the loss to Jake Ellenberger, but his performance in the fight (or at least in the third round of the fight) didn’t detract from his overall career arc one iota. He’s still a guy the fans love to watch because of his heart and his willingness to lay it all on the line. And he’s had plenty of success at lightweight in the past.

Pettis needs to face someone like Sanchez, and Sanchez needs to rebound with a big win. The fight makes perfect sense on every level.

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