UFC 146 ends one of the most fun months in MMA that I can remember. It’s the first time that the UFC has ever put together an all-heavyweight main card culminating with Junior Dos Santos defending his title against Frank Mir. The card has seen a l…
UFC 146 ends one of the most fun months in MMA that I can remember. It’s the first time that the UFC has ever put together an all-heavyweight main card culminating with Junior Dos Santos defending his title against Frank Mir.
The card has seen a lot of changes, mostly stemming from Overeem’s test for elevated levels of testosterone (14:1 T:E). With so many heavyweight bouts, this card promises to have long-term consequences for the division. There are also some interesting bouts on the undercard which could see some prospects move to the upper tier of their divisions.
With the matches set and the fighters arriving in Vegas for the event, let’s breakdown every fight on the card.
This Saturday, at UFC 146, the main card will feature strictly heavyweights.From Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir to Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman, Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve to Stipe Miocic vs. Shane Del Rosario, the UFC’s most evolved division will …
This Saturday, at UFC 146, the main card will feature strictly heavyweights.
From Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir to Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman, Lavar Johnson vs. Stefan Struve to Stipe Miocic vs. Shane Del Rosario, the UFC’s most evolved division will once again undergo changes.
However, through all those fights, including the championship bout, Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio “Big Foot” Silva could steal the show.
Not only does it mark the arrival of Silva to the UFC, but it serves as the return of Velasquez since losing his title to dos Santos at UFC on FOX 1.
Here’s how they stake up in this UFC 146 head-to-toe breakdown.
There are very few cards that have suffered the kind of beating that has come upon UFC 146. The all-heavyweight main card, meant to draw in casual fans and rack up buys for the UFC, has turned into one giant headache for the promotion. Here is a remind…
There are very few cards that have suffered the kind of beating that has come upon UFC 146. The all-heavyweight main card, meant to draw in casual fans and rack up buys for the UFC, has turned into one giant headache for the promotion.
Here is a reminder of what the original card looked like:
When this first got announced it was easy to get excited. Dos Santos vs. Overeem was downright tantalizing with the two champions set to unify the UFC and Strikeforce heavyweight belts. Velasquez vs. Mir was a comparably exciting co-main event set to either cement the resurgence of Frank Mir or open the door for Cain Velasquez to retake his belt.
Past that, all the bouts had some level of intrigue. Nelson vs. Silva was going to show just how good either of these heavyweights were, with Silva showing he belongs in the top echelon of the UFC’s heavyweight division or Nelson proving he deserves a spot in the UFC. Meanwhile Del Rosario vs. Gonzaga and Struve vs. Hunt pitted young up-and-comers against wily veterans trying to work their way back into the public eye.
Obviously things did not stay that way. Alistair Overeem’s much-publicized failed drug test (which he claims was due to his use of a doctor-prescribed anti-inflamatory) got him booted off the card. Mir replaced Overeem for the title fight. Silva replaced Mir in the co-main event. Gonzaga replaced Silva, and was scheduled to face Roy Nelson. StipeMiocic then stepped onto the card to fight Shane del Rosario in place of Gonzaga.
That still had the makings of a decent card. Unfortunately a couple more changes had to come down. Gonzaga threw out his back during training and was replaced by heavyweight journeyman Dave Herman. Then to make sure every bout from the original card had been sabotaged, Mark Hunt had to pull out of his fight with Stefan Struve and was replaced by Lavar Johnson.
The card is currently:
Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva
Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman
Shane del Rosario vs. StipeMiocic
Stefan Struve vs. Lavar Johnson
Ouch.
Dos Santos vs. Mir is interesting only insofar as it is a heavyweight title fight, and lacks the appeal (and will probably also lack the excitement) of the original fight with Overeem. Velasquez vs. Silva is likely to be fun (what heavyweight fight between two guys with hands made of dynamite is not?) but the UFC was wanting to build Antonio Silva up against Roy Nelson.
Cain Velasquez, however, is no stepping stone, and should be heavily favored going into the event.
Nelson vs. Herman lacks the appeal of either of the fights Nelson had scheduled. Though “Big Country” fans should be happy about the changes, as Herman is an easier opponent than either Silva or Gonzaga (Nelson, who is 1-3 in his last four fights, is likely to be cut if he drops this bout).
Del Rosario vs. Miocic lacks any sort of name-brand recognition as both fighters are about a year removed from fighting on Strikeforce: Challengers cards on Showtime. The bout is still interesting, though, as both fighters are undefeated and have combined for only one decision. However there is no getting around the fact that either fighter is unknown to a huge majority of MMA fans.
Struve vs. Hunt actually ends up being the second biggest loss for the card. After events began pointing to Overeem being forced off the card, a huge rallying cry came up with fans calling for Hunt to replace him in the title fight. The movement failed but still put the spotlight on Hunt who, unfortunately, will not be able to take advantage of his renewed fame.
As for the actual fight, Struve often ends up in interesting technical battles due to his opponents needing to compensate for his freakish height (checking in at 6’11”). He remains one of the most under-appreciated fighters in the UFC with a 7-3 record in the promotion in just three years, but he has a tough fight in Lavar Johnson who is looking for his third knockout victory of 2012.
This combines for an injury-riddled card that does not live up to its original booking. While it is not bad, again it was supposed to be amazing. The untouched lineup of fights would have ended up one of the biggest spectacles in MMA this year (its only real competition being UFC 148). The product fans are looking at, though, does not qualify as such.
Still, there is enough to get excited about to keep most UFC fans interested. We have, after all, seen worse bunches put forth exciting fights, top-to-bottom. It is easy, though, to wonder “What if…?”
(Let’s be honest, you’d pay to watch these three knuckleheads do *anything*.)
As Danga pointed out yesterday, injuries and surprise drug tests have led to all five of UFC 146‘s main card bouts being altered since they were first announced, which puts “Dos Santos vs. Mir” right up there with MMA’s most cursed events of all time. But let’s be fair — the UFC originally promised us ten aggressive heavyweights bashing the hell out of each other, and they’re still giving us just that. So is UFC 146 a rag-tag bunch of scab-fights, or a compelling lineup in itself? Let’s break it down…
Original main event: Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem Current main event: Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir Advantage:Even. Luckily, our schizophrenic contributor Josh Hutchinson has already presented bothsides of this issue, and I’m leaning towards the idea that Mir as a main-event replacement isn’t a total disaster. At first, we had the two best heavyweight strikers in MMA slugging it out for supremacy. Now, we have…well, who knows? Mir’s brilliant ground game opens up a whole new set of outcomes for this one. And isn’t MMA at its best when it’s chaotic and unpredictable? (I know, some of you just watch for the big muscles, but I’m a true fan, okay bro?)
Original co-main event: Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir Current co-main event: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva Advantage:Original. And I only say that because Velasquez vs. Mir felt like less of a squash match. Bigfoot really could have used a softer landing in the Octagon; making his UFC debut in a pay-per-view co-main event against a juggernaut ex-champ like Velasquez smells like serious trouble for the Brazilian, who already failed a chin-test against Daniel Cormier in September.
(Let’s be honest, you’d pay to watch these three knuckleheads do *anything*.)
As Danga pointed out yesterday, injuries and surprise drug tests have led to all five of UFC 146‘s main card bouts being altered since they were first announced, which puts “Dos Santos vs. Mir” right up there with MMA’s most cursed events of all time. But let’s be fair — the UFC originally promised us ten aggressive heavyweights bashing the hell out of each other, and they’re still giving us just that. So is UFC 146 a rag-tag bunch of scab-fights, or a compelling lineup in itself? Let’s break it down…
Original main event:Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem Current main event: Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir Advantage:Even. Luckily, our schizophrenic contributor Josh Hutchinson has already presented bothsides of this issue, and I’m leaning towards the idea that Mir as a main-event replacement isn’t a total disaster. At first, we had the two best heavyweight strikers in MMA slugging it out for supremacy. Now, we have…well, who knows? Mir’s brilliant ground game opens up a whole new set of outcomes for this one. And isn’t MMA at its best when it’s chaotic and unpredictable? (I know, some of you just watch for the big muscles, but I’m a true fan, okay bro?)
Original co-main event:Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir Current co-main event: Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva Advantage:Original. And I only say that because Velasquez vs. Mir felt like less of a squash match. Bigfoot really could have used a softer landing in the Octagon; making his UFC debut in a pay-per-view co-main event against a juggernaut ex-champ like Velasquez smells like serious trouble for the Brazilian, who already failed a chin-test against Daniel Cormier in September.
Original main card bout #3:Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva Current main card bout #3: Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman Advantage:Original. See above; Nelson vs. Silva made a lot of sense as a matchup, and I was looking forward to it. Plus, after his February loss to Stefan Struve, I’m not sold on Dave Herman as main-card material.
Original main card bout #2:Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shane Del Rosario Current main card bout #2: Stipe Miocic vs. Shane Del Rosario Advantage:Current. Unless you’re a big Gabe Gonzaga fan (?), this match just became a lot more relevant. Miocic and Del Rosario are both undefeated up-and-comers with a combined finishing ratio of 94.7%, and the winner of this fight follows in the footsteps of Travis Browne and Lavar Johnson as the hot-shot heavyweight prospect to watch. Personally, I think Miocic is going to emerge from this one as a rising star.
Original main card bout #1:Stefan Struve vs. Mark Hunt Current main card bout #1: Stefan Struve vs. Lavar Johnson Advantage:Even. Look, I’m almost as depressed about Mark Hunt’s injury as Mark Hunt is. Plus, if I’m not mistaken, Struve vs. Hunt represented the greatest height differential in UFC history (13 inches!), which would have been awesome to see, just on an anthropological level. But I think we’re simply replacing one awesome Cinderella story (Hunt’s) with another just-as-good one (Johnson’s). Johnson came to the UFC riding back-to-back losses in Strikeforce, which followed nearly getting shot to death. Few expected him to make an impact in the UFC — and yet he’s already scored first-round knockouts of Joey Beltran and Pat Barry, picking up $130,000 in bonus money in the process. Now he’s re-entering the cage with just a three-week layoff between the Barry fight and this one. Do you believe in miracles?
Final analysis: If the original card was a 9 out of 10, the current card is at least a strong 7.5. Yes, we lost Alistair Overeem, and yes, we gained Dave Herman. But in terms of entertainment value, UFC 146 hasn’t given up a whole lot. Agree or disagree? (Sorry Hutchinson, you can’t do both…)
It’s going to be a classic striker-vs.-grappler matchup when UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos defends his title against former champion Frank Mir later this month at UFC 146.Or is it?Heading into the anticipated matchup between two of the mos…
It’s going to be a classic striker-vs.-grappler matchup when UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos defends his title against former champion Frank Mir later this month at UFC 146.
Or is it?
Heading into the anticipated matchup between two of the most dangerous heavyweights in the sport, many fans are expecting one of two things to happen—either JDS will knock out Mir, or he will fall into a submission like so many have before him, including his mentor Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira did last year.
Fellow Brazilian Antonio Silva, who will also be fighting on the card against Cain Velasquez, is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Judo and Karate, and believes JDS has the BJJ skills to back up his very impressive stand-up skills.
It’s complicated. (Nogueira and Mir) fought twice and unfortunately Mir won them both, but he shouldn’t take it personally because when you put your emotions in there it’s when you get off track…I’m sure he’s not taking this personally. After two, three rounds Mir will get frustrated and won’t handle it well.
Dos Santos carried a 13-1 record into his title fight last year, where he knocked out Velasquez to win the belt and improve his overall UFC record to 8-0 with five knockouts. His other victories include those over Fabricio Werdum, Shane Carwin, Roy Nelson and Gabriel Gonzaga.
Mir will enter the bout having gone 3-0 in his last three fights with wins over Nogueira, Mirko Cro Cop and Nelson.
One question fans might want to ask themselves is, will JDS make the same mistake Nogueira did if he drops Mir and goes in for the finish? It’s unlikely he will go for a submission, but it will be interesting to see if he tries to if he gets the chance.
Silva continued:
I’d say Cigano’s a brown or black belt at Jiu-Jitsu, absolutely…He’s very good, fast, versatile and doesn’t get stuck on the positions, he can move fast and stand-up quickly. He’s on a good moment of his career. Every time he’s in Rio he trains much Jiu-Jitsu. Because he knocks many guys out people start thinking he’s just good at that.
The pay-per-view event will go down May 26 in Las Vegas. Other main-card matchups include Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman, Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic and Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve.
UFC newcomer Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva has welcomed Octagon veterans Mark Hunt and Thiago Silva to his training camp leading up to his co-main-event showdown with Cain Velasquez. He has also recruited a wrestler who defeated Velasquez, a former UFC …
UFC newcomer Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva has welcomed Octagon veterans Mark Hunt and Thiago Silva to his training camp leading up to his co-main-event showdown with Cain Velasquez.
He has also recruited a wrestler who defeated Velasquez, a former UFC heavyweight champion, three times on the mats in high school.
“I brought a couple of wrestlers to help me out. One of them (Steve Mocco) fought Cain Velasquez three times in high school and defeated him every single one,” Silva told Tatame.com. “He’s spending a couple of weeks here to give me tips and tell me why I should worry about Cain Velasquez.”
“He’s a good guy. He’s very strong, about the same height as Cain and has a lot of experience for having fought him before. It’s a great thing for me,” he added.
Silva enters the fight as a huge underdog, with many fans and analysts alike saying he will be no match for Velasquez’s striking, wrestling and non-stop cardio.
That’s why he has brought in a couple of high-level strikers as well in an attempt to level the playing field: “There’re some strikers coming to support me too, like Mark Hunt, who’s being really helpful. There’s Thiago Silva, who’s a great helping hand at this point.”
The former Strikeforce fighter is looking forward to the fight and encourages fans to tune in for it.
“I was really glad about the opportunity. It’s my UFC debut, and they are giving me a chance to fight one of the top two guys of the division, a former champion. I have two-and-a-half weeks ahead of me and I guarantee it’s going to be a good fight”, the Brazilian heavyweight said.
Bigfoot said he is “focused” on Cain Velasquez but still hopes to work his way up to an eventual title shot:
I guess there’re many people ahead of me on the line. It’s my UFC debut. Fighting for the title is the consequence of a long-term work. Just like the champion had to do like four or five fights, knocked out everybody who crossed his way and got his chance at the title and earned it. It’s a longer way, but I guess that, in the end of the day, it pays off.
Velasquez was originally scheduled to face another fellow UFC heavyweight champion in Frank Mir in a title eliminator bout.
However, Mir now meets reigning champion Junior dos Santos, the man who defeated Velasquez for the belt, at the May 26 event hosted at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Does anyone feel like these additions to Bigfoot’s camp can lead him to an upset over the former Arizona State Sun Devil, Cain Velasquez?
There are very few cards that have suffered the kind of beating that has come upon 