One of the storylines leading into UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir was whether Frank Mir should consider retirement. But once the evening was over, that conversation changed.
Mir needed less than two minutes to dispatch Antonio Silva, and he did …
One of the storylines leading into UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir was whether Frank Mir should consider retirement. But once the evening was over, that conversation changed.
Mir needed less than two minutes to dispatch Antonio Silva, and he did so in brutal fashion. It was Silva’s second straight loss, and he has not had his hand raised in more than two years. Perhaps the question should be whether Silva’s time in competition is over.
One must wonder how much longer Bigfoot, who is 35 years old, expects to compete. He’s taken a lot of damage in recent contests. Three quick defeats and the brutal battle he had with Mark Hunt are major points of concern. Even his victory over Alistair Overeem at UFC 156 came after taking a lot of punishment from his opponent.
During the post-fight press conference, the media began the conversation by asking questions about whether Silva has a “weak chin.”
“All of the knockouts that I’ve taken were hits to my head,” Silva stated during the conference (video via MMA Fighting). “I think that a [weak chin] has nothing to do with it. Frank hit me first. Heavyweights are like this. It happens.”
But “it” is happening to Silva far too frequently at this point in his career. He also mentioned that he is going to return to competition after taking some time off, but perhaps the UFC should intervene.
Fighters such as Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell and others have been ushered away from the cage. Those with the power to make these types of decisions should have a conversation with Bigfoot about whether he should continue down this path.
Unfortunately, the organization is in need of big names in the heavyweight division. Even though Mir and Silva have experienced skids in their careers, both men are ranked within the promotion’s top 15. Heavyweight is not as deep as other divisions, and that fact may keep Silva competing for yet another chance at the title.
Many individuals within the MMA media have voiced concern for Silva at this point in his career. MMA journalist James Lynch took to Twitter to say he does not want to see Silva competing at this level anymore:
Silva has given the sport of mixed martial arts some big moments. He played the underdog against FedorEmelianenko and Overeem but pulled out career-defining wins. His career has taken a downturn, since then, however. With yet another smashing defeat on his ledger, it is time for Silva to move away from the sport before he sustains more violent damage.
Whenever there are high stakes surrounding a fight, an added element of drama occurs. Whether it be a heated rivalry, possible title contention or some additional circumstance, when a fight is more than just who wins or loses, that’s when things get in…
Whenever there are high stakes surrounding a fight, an added element of drama occurs. Whether it be a heated rivalry, possible title contention or some additional circumstance, when a fight is more than just who wins or loses, that’s when things get interesting.
Coming into their main event tilt at Fight Night 61, both Frank Mir and Antonio Silva were in desperate need of victory.
The former two-time heavyweight champion, Mir, came into Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Sunday night having lost four consecutive bouts, while Bigfoot had failed to reach the win column in his past three showings inside the Octagon. Their respective rough spells had threatened to push them out of the elite tier of the heavyweight fold, and their bout at Fight Night 61 meant the backslide was going to end for one of them.
The winner of the bout would remain in the thick of an increasingly competitive division, while the loser of the main event Sunday night would take a big step toward obscurity. Those circumstances set the drama levels on high going into the heavyweight scrap, and Mir stepped up to the plate in a big way.
With his back up against the wall given a sizable losing streak, the Las Vegas native landed a perfectly timed left hand that put Silva on the canvas. Once the American Top Team representative was hurt, Mir swarmed and finished the bout with a flurry of punches from top position to seal the deal and pick up his first victory since defeating Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira in December of 2011.
It was a crazy night of upsets in Porto Alegre, and let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from Fight Night 61.
The Good
Throughout the 14 years that his professional career has spanned, Mir has written several storied chapters.
The former two-time heavyweight titleholder has been on the top of the heavyweight mountain at times just as he’s been a step away from obscurity at others. Nevertheless, when the Las Vegas native is on top of his game, he’s a hard man to beat, and Silva found that out Sunday at Fight Night 61. Despite Mir coming off one of the longest layoffs of his career, the jiu-jitsu ace looked sharper than he has in years as he used crisp striking to fell the American Top Team fighter.
As Silva waded in with shots, Mir countered with a left jab followed by a left hook that floored the former title challenger. With Silva dazed on the mat, the Nevada native swarmed and finished off Bigfoot with heavy shots from the top. Although it was a quick showing, it was precisely what Mir needed to prove there are still plenty of mileage left in his body.
For the majority of his time under the UFC banner, Mir has never been more than a few steps away from title contention. While a victory over Silva certainly won’t catapult him back into striking distance of a championship opportunity, his high-profile name and status as a two-time former champion will keep interesting fights coming his way for the foreseeable future.
Mir’s win over Silva saved his UFC career, and that’s good news for the overall state of the heavyweight division.
The UFC’s lightweight division, on the other hand, is filled with talent, and breaking into the elite level of the weight class is a difficult task. Michael Johnson earned his entry into the next tier of the 155-pound collective Sunday night and did so in impressive fashion.
While The Menace had won three consecutive bouts coming into his tilt with EdsonBarboza at Fight Night 61, his fight with the dangerous Brazilian striker was undoubtedly the biggest bout of his career. This was partially because of the threat Barboza would present inside the Octagon, but with the Renzo Gracie-trained fighter holding the No. 6 ranking in the divisional hierarchy, there was a huge opportunity for Johnson to move up the 155-pound ladder Sunday night.
He certainly capitalized on the moment against Barboza, but it was the way he did it that was the most impressive. The Team Blackzilians representative has worked behind a strong wrestling game for years, but the Henri Hooft-trained fighter went toe-to-toe with the Brazilian wrecking machine for the entire 15-minute affair.
The end result was Johnson picking up his fourth straight victory and moving himself into position to fight the biggest names in the lightweight division. He wasted zero time getting things moving in that aspect as he called out former lightweight champion Benson Henderson in his post-fight interview with Jon Anik. That’s a bold move for any fighter at 155, but Johnson is a man on the rise and wants to face the best of the best.
*** Sam Alvey never needs a reason to smile, but the heavy-handed veteran will have plenty of reasons to be happy following his devastating knockout over highly touted CezarFerreira on Sunday night. While Mutante came out throwing everything in his arsenal, Alvey simply blocked the shots and continued to move about the cage. Commentators Jon Anik and Kenny Florian were blasting Alvey for his lack of output just as the 28-year-old Wisconsin native unleashed a two-punch combination that sent The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil winner crashing to the canvas.
*** On a night filled with underdogs rising to the occasion, Frankie Saenz definitely had the biggest upset when he derailed IuriAlcantara via unanimous decision. Although his Brazilian opponent has been a staple in the Top 10 rankings of the bantamweight fold for the past two years, Saenz showed absolute disregard for his status as he employed a relentless attack from the opening bell to the last. The talented prospect poured it on the savvy veteran to pick up his sixth consecutive victory and stamp his place in the deep ranks of the 135-pound division.
*** It takes two to make a good fight, and Santiago Ponzinibbio and Sean Strickland threw down at Fight Night 61. The welterweight tilt kicked off the main card, and neither man wasted time getting to the ruckus inside the Octagon. While Ponzinibbio used his striking to set the tone early, Strickland certainly bounced back and had a few moments of success. Nevertheless, it was the Gentle Boa who ultimately picked up the victory and secured his second win in three showings inside the Octagon.
*** It may have taken Marion Reneau some effort to get to the UFC, but she’s not wasting any time climbing up the ranks of the women’s bantamweight division now that she’s there. The 37-year-old made a successful promotional debut at the expense of Alexis Dufresne at UFC 183.
Seven weeks later, she earned a submission victory over Jessica Andrade at Fight Night 61. While the powerful Brazilian put her on the canvas with a big shot early, The Bruiser used her slick jiu-jitsu skills from the bottom position to lock in the fight-ending triangle choke. The win was another strong showing for Reneau, and it will guarantee she gets a bigger name in her next outing.
*** Matt Dwyer came into his bout with William Macario determined to redeem himself inside the Octagon. The Canadian welterweight suffered a first-round knockout in his official debut, and Dwyer wanted to make a statement against Patalino at Fight Night 61. That’s exactly what he accomplished as the British Columbia native scored a highlight-reel knockout via Superman punch that led Macario to fall to the canvas. It was an impressive showing for the 24-year-old welterweight and proved that he absolutely belongs on the UFC roster.
*** After failing to find victory in his first two showings inside the Octagon, Mike De La Torre came into Fight Night 61 looking to turn things around in a big way. The California native squared off with TiagoTrator on Sunday night and handled business in quick and brutal fashion, scoring a first-round knockout in Porto Alegre.
He pushed the action from the opening bell, but it was a big left hook from De La Torre that put Trator on the canvas. Once his opponent was hurt, El Cucuy poured on a storm of right hands from top position that forced referee Leon Roberts to step in and stop the bout. Nevertheless, Roberts probably let Trator eat about seven shots too many. Roberts was far too slow jumping in for the stoppage.
*** Douglas Silva deAndrade notched his first victory inside the Octagon on the strength of an action-packed performance against Cody Gibson. The scrappy Brazilian and The Renegade went toe-to-toe for three rounds with De Andrade getting the better part of the exchanges throughout the 15-minute affair. While the fight seemed closer than the judges’ scorecards ultimately showed, De Andrade made his first successful showing under the UFC banner since his debut back in February of 2014.
*** There wasn’t anything too exciting about the opening bout of the card.
Ivan Jorge defeated Josh Shockley via unanimous decision to kick off Fight Night 61. The Brazilian was able to put the Indiana native on the canvas at will throughout the three-round affair as he picked up his second victory in three showings inside the Octagon. While he was able to pick up the win, it was hardly a performance worthy of the stellar “Batman” nickname Jorge carries into the cage.
The Bad
Carrying hype and expectation can be a difficult thing, and it’s been made painfully clear that CezarFerreira isn’t the fighter he was originally made out to be.
Coming off his win on TUF: Brazil, Mutante was built up as a powerful storm about to descend on the UFC’s middleweight division. Vitor Belfort’s protege was supposed to be something special even though there was no verifiable proof of such things on his existing record. Nevertheless, competing at the highest level of the sport has an ingrained weeding-out process, and it appears that Ferreira‘s limitations have been exposed.
While the Sao Paulo native certainly has a versatile arsenal of strikes to his credit, those weapons can’t make up for his lack of chin when things go live. While he was able to find victory in his first two showings under the UFC banner, Ferreira was starched by C.B. Dolloway, which was his first test against a fighter with a proven track record.
He was able to bounce back in his next bout against Andrew Craig, but his fight against Sam Alvey on Sunday night was set to be a crucial crossroad for the Brazilian powerhouse.
With his knockout against The Doberman still lingering in the rear view, Ferreira needed to put some solid distance between himself and that loss, and the way to do that was putting Alvey down in impressive fashion. He certainly came out with that intention, throwing an array of spinning kicks and launched himself forward with power punches.
Ferreira‘s output seemed to be confusing Alvey as the Team Quest fighter offered no return fire during the exchanges. That said, once Smile’n Sam did decide to throw, two of those punches landed flush on Ferreira and sent the TUF: Brazil winner toppling to the canvas unconscious. By the time Ferreira hit the mat, all hopes of him being the next big thing in the middleweight fold went out with him.
And that’s okay. In a realm as competitive as the UFC currently is, there’s plenty of room for fighters who simply get in the cage to slug it out. Not every fighter is going to be a champion. Not every fighter is going to be great, but it sometimes takes a fall from grace for a fighter’s true talents to emerge.
Staying with that theme, it’s been a rough turn of events for RustamKhabilov.
The Dagestan-born fighter spent his first two years under the UFC banner battling his way up the talent-rich ranks of the lightweight division as he found victory in his first three showings inside the Octagon. That success set up a showdown with former champion Benson Henderson at Fight Night 42 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in a fight that could have propelled him to a title shot with a victory.
That said, Khabilov was submitted by Smooth in the first round of their main event tilt, and the Jackson/Winkeljohn-trained fighter was pushed to the back of the line in the 155-pound fold. He was eager to get back into the win column, but his next scheduled bout against Danny Castillo at UFC 182 was scrapped due to Khabilov‘s visa issues that prohibited him from entering the United States. Those issues also kept The Tiger from training with his coaches in Albuquerque, and he entered his bout with Adriano Martins at Fight Night 61 with a lot of questions hovering overhead.
Khabilov definitely needed a strong performance to reclaim his place in the lightweight division, but that just didn’t happen Sunday night. The Russian grappler looked hesitant throughout the bout and surprisingly gave up several takedowns against the surging Brazilian striker. The end result was a split-decision victory for Martins as Khabilov was handed his second consecutive loss inside the Octagon. And while there is no doubting Khabilov‘s talent, talk of him being a legitimate contender to the 155-pound crown is fading fast.
The Strange
While failed drug tests and the efficiency of out-of-competition testing has been all the rage as of late, fighters struggling to make weight hasn’t lagged too far behind in the dubious storyline department.
Over the past year, a mixture of high-profile and low-visibility fighters alike have lost their battles with the scale, with a handful of those situations drastically affecting title pictures and championship opportunities. Former bantamweight king RenanBarao was forced out of his rematch with T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 177 last August when difficulties during his weight cut led to him failing to get medically cleared to step into the Octagon.
The struggle to make weight recently took center stage as John Lineker and Kelvin Gastelum failed to hit their respective contracted weight limits at UFC 183. Both were heading into huge fights, and both did serious damage to their careers with how things went down. Despite winning his bout against Ian McCall at UFC 183, the heavy-handed Brazilian lost his all-but-guaranteed title shot against Demetrious Johnson as UFC President Dana White declared Lineker was being forced to move up to bantamweight for his next fight.
Gastelum would also be forced to move up in weight following the debacle at UFC 183, and the debate over the safety of weight-cutting continued to pick up steam in the MMA community. That said, another victim of the process would be added to the list on Saturday as T.J. Waldburger was forced out of his bout with Wendell Oliveira due to passing out during his weight cut.
The 26-year-old Texan had not competed since being brutally knocked out by Mike Pyle at UFC 170 last February, which came only four months after he was viciously separated from his senses by AdlanAmagov at UFC 166 in Houston. With his recent run of setbacks, it’s clear that things are rough for Waldburger, and being forced to withdraw from his bout with Oliveira due to medical issues is probably the last thing he needed.
Another aspect of competing at Fight Night 61 no fighter could have cared for was the humidity inside GinasioGigantinho on Sunday night, which reached 98 percent. While North America is currently in the midst of a brutal winter, Brazilians are enjoying their summer months, and that was going to make for a hot and humid environment come fight night.
Competing at elevation is one thing, but fighting inside an arena that is close to 100 degrees had to be hellish. Yet aside from commentators Jon Anik and Kenny Florian mentioning how hot it was inside the arena, the fighters on the card showed no signs of suffering because of the heat. The only curious performance of the night came when longtime UFC ring announcer Bruce Buffer announced IuriAlcantara as “A Mari-Juana Fighter”—leaving fans on Twitter to wonder what exactly that means:
There was also a stretch of the card where nine consecutive underdogs pulled off upsets at Fight Night 61 and 10 overall upsets broke the official UFC record for most on a card. Mixed martial arts is a chaotic sport where anything can and usually does happen, but it is definitely worth noting the strangeness of such a long streak of underestimated fighters showing and proving under the bright lights of the biggest stage in the sport.
This especially rings true when Smile’n Sam Alvey throws three punches in a fight and two of them combine to knock the remaining hype out of CezarFerreira.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
The UFC’s first trip to Brazil in 2015 will be remembered as a night of memorable upsets.
Underdogs made statements with notable upsets in every fight but the night’s first at UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs. Mir, including 37-year-old Marion Reneau, wh…
The UFC’s first trip to Brazil in 2015 will be remembered as a night of memorable upsets.
Underdogs made statements with notable upsets in every fight but the night’s first at UFC Fight Night 61: Bigfoot vs. Mir, including 37-year-old Marion Reneau, who submitted 10th-ranked women’s featherweight Jessica Andrade on Sunday.
In the same vein, a large group of favorites, like eighth-ranked bantamweight IuriAlcantara, got knocked down a few pegs after suffering disappointing defeats.
Although the primary theme was the success of the night’s underdogs, the secondary storyline was the promotion’s decision to allow 13th-ranked heavyweight Frank Mir to fight eighth-ranked Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in the main event.
While both men are decorated heavyweights who stay active against the world’s best, heading into the night Mir hadn’t won a fight since submitting Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC 140 in December 2011. Bigfoot, conversely, hadn’t tasted victory since KO’ing Alistair Overeem at UFC 156 over two years ago.
It’s difficult to argue that Mir and Bigfoot don’t deserve to be called top-flight heavyweights, but to pit them against each other in a main event at this point in time made little sense. Truth be told, the UFC could have made a more sensible main event matchup with co-main event fighters and budding lightweights Michael Johnson and EdsonBarboza.
Coming into the bout, the 12th-ranked Johnson had won six of his last eight bouts, and sixth-ranked Barboza had prevailed in five of his last six.
Did the UFC make the right decision by pitting Mir and Silva in the big show? Or should the seemingly obvious barnburner between Johnson and Barboza have gotten tabbed as the main event?
Read on to find the answers to the most significant questions that surrounded UFC Fight Night 61.
Sunday’s unusual UFC billing featured a heavyweight showdown between win-craving Frank Mir and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
Their UFC Fight Night 61 clash led a night full of unprecedented upsets, spine-tingling knockouts and downright gritty action in fro…
Sunday’s unusual UFC billing featured a heavyweight showdown between win-craving Frank Mir and Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.
Their UFC Fight Night 61 clash led a night full of unprecedented upsets, spine-tingling knockouts and downright gritty action in front of an always-hungry Brazilian crowd in Porto Alegre.
But through all of the action, if was former UFC heavyweight champion Mir who stood tall and proud.
On the strength of some very impressive striking, the 35-year-old dropped Silva early in Round 1 with a devastating left hook and followed up with some nasty elbows from top position to secure the TKO victory.
It was the first time Mir has had his hand raised inside the Octagon since 2011.
Here is what we learned from the quick main event as the heavyweight division received a drastic makeover.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
Considering this was such a quick and one-sided affair, the left hook that Mir threw early in the first round is the most memorable moment of this fight.
Silva didn’t even have time to throw more than a few punches, let alone regain his consciousness after Mir jumped on top of him and launched some of the nastiest elbows around.
It’s important to understand how good Mir looked on his feet in front of a decidedly pro-Silva crowd.
His ability to stick and move en route to catching Silva mid-exchange gives insight into his ability to bounce back and reclaim glory.
As for Silva, we didn’t see too much from him to suggest he did anything of note.
What We Learned AboutMir
There is no dispute that Mir is one of the very best heavyweights to ever compete in the UFC.
His submissions skills and overall resolve, especially outside of the cage, is second to none.
But once again, Mir displayed the elevated striking skills that should launch him on yet another title run, assuming his chin and cardio can hold up under the harshest conditions..
Obviously he has work to do, but this is a good sign for a heavyweight fighter who had dropped four in a row leading into Sunday night.
What We Learned AboutSilva
There just wasn’t much there for Silva at UFC Fight Night 61.
Despite his need for a victory and a usually dangerous striking game, the 35-year-old Brazilian fell victim to a veteran known for his grappling.
While this victory shouldn’t derail Bigfoot completely, it should be noted that this is one of first times we’ve seen him get backed up on his feet.
It’s possible that Mir’s footwork and quickness surprised Silva, but he should have mixed in some offense to counter his own discomfort.
What’s Next for Mir
Having now regained divisional momentum and a well-deserved victory, Mir should opt to get back into the cage as soon as possible.
His destruction of Silva lasted just under two minutes, so the former champ should still be fresh and eager to build an early 2015 win streak.
With that said, there’s a limited pool of opponents that Mir could take on next.
The most logical choices would be the winner of Mark Hunt vs. StipeMiocic or Matt Mitrione, but Mir’s chin may not hold up under the pressure of facing Meathead.
What’s Next for Silva
Silva’s UFC record now stands at 2-4 (1), including a no-contest after testing positive for elevated testosterone levels following his classic bout with Mark Hunt back at UFC Fight Night 33.
Needless to say, it’s been a rough road for the FedorEmelianenko slayer, as he has yet to truly sink his big feet into the UFC heavyweight division.
Sure, he has fought for the title, but UFC champion Cain Velasquez made Silva look like he belonged on the prelims.
At 35 years of age and in the midst of the worst slump of his career, Silva may be on his last legs.
He should be able to fight at least two more times in 2015, but the possibility of losing both bouts makes us believe he’ll never regain his contender status.
Look for Silva to take on either Stefan Struve or the loser of Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Mirko Cro Cop his next time around.
UFC Fight Night 61 is just one of the many exciting things happening on this particular Sunday, but the leader in mixed martial arts brings a fun card to your TV screens.
Heavyweights Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Frank Mir will cap the night off in an i…
UFC Fight Night 61 is just one of the many exciting things happening on this particular Sunday, but the leader in mixed martial arts brings a fun card to your TV screens.
Heavyweights Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Frank Mir will cap the night off in an important fight in the division. The two top 15-ranked fighters are on losing skids, but still in position to make a major move up the ranks. Lightweights EdsonBarboza and Michael Johnson will co-main event in an even more pivotal battle in their division.
The T.J. Waldburger vs. Wendell deOliveira Marques fight is now cancelled after Waldburger fainted during his weight cut. That leaves 11 fights on the card.
The event kicks off on UFC Fight Pass (subscription required) at 5:30 p.m. ET and begins on Fox Sports 1 at 6 p.m. ET. Keep it right here for complete coverage of UFC Fight Night 61.
On the same night as the Academy Awards, two battle-torn heavyweights highlight a UFC Fight Night card in Brazil where the supporting performers might be better than the men in leading roles. Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir will take on Antonio “…
On the same night as the Academy Awards, two battle-torn heavyweights highlight a UFC Fight Night card in Brazil where the supporting performers might be better than the men in leading roles. Former heavyweight champion Frank Mir will take on Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva in a fight that hopefully decides which of these two continues fighting and which one calls it a career.
As Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie points out, there’s no questioning these two men have been in their share of high-profile scraps:
While the big guys may be battling for their careers, the fighters in the co-main event could be edging toward a title shot. Edson Barboza and Michael “Menace” Johnson are two in a long line of talented lightweights who would love to earn their shot at Anthony “Showtime” Pettis—if he’s still the champion of the 155-pound division after tangling with Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185.
Minus the lack of name recognition, the Barboza-Johnson scrap could easily be the headliner. Both men are still in the primes of their athletic careers and have more serious aspirations about becoming champion than do Silva and Mir.
There are also a few notable preliminary bouts to take note of, including an intriguing women’s bantamweight bout between Jessica Andrade and the potential budding star, “The Belizean Bruiser” Marion Reneau.
Check out the viewing information, full card and predictions.
Most Intriguing Main Card Bouts
Sean “Tarzan” Strickland Will Make a Splash in His Return
It’s been almost a year since Sean Strickland was in the Octagon, but the 23-year-old is still undefeated at 15-0, and he’s young enough to be considered an up-and-coming talent.
Strickland is moving down to welterweight where he should be faster and more explosive. His Millennium MMA training partner Lorenz Larkin made the same move and looked spectacular in his last fight against John Howard.
While Tarzan doesn’t possess the same striking prowess that Larkin does, the Riverside, California, native has a balanced game, and he’s cerebral. Per Jordan Newmark of UFC.com, here’s what Strickland said about his mental approach:
I think the thing that separates great fighters from average fighters is intelligence, to be honest. If we’re all training the same way, training with the same caliber of people, and fighting at the same weight then there has to be an X-factor that separates us. That’s the mental game. It’s controlling your emotions. It’s when someone is booing you to not get mad and bite down on your mouthpiece and throw an overhand right trying to get the KO. The mental game is the X-factor, being able to adjust and think and do what I needed to do to beat him.
Against Santiago Ponzinibbio on Sunday, the poised and calculated approach will lead Strickland to victory.
Ponzinibbio is ultra-aggressive by nature. He’s a good striker who will be performing in front of his countrymen. He’ll want to put on a show, but he’ll find himself in peril as he runs into a trap set by Strickland.
When the fight goes to the mat, Strickland will have the advantage and finish matters by way of submission.
Barboza Will Give Brazilians Something to Cheer About
When it comes to kicks, not many in the sport are more dangerous than Barboza. He scored the single most devastating kick KO I’ve ever seen against Terry Etim in 2012. Since then, he’s stopped three opponents with kicks—two of them to the legs.
Offensively, he’s a machine. On Sunday, he’ll square off with Michael Johnson. Quite honestly, I thought Johnson was headed out of the promotion after back-to-back losses to Myles Jury and Reza Madadi, but he’s strung together three straight wins.
He hasn’t fought in almost a year, and Barboza represents a step up over the competition he’s faced recently. While I like the improvements in aggression and stand-up fighting that Johnson has exhibited in his most recent fights, I don’t think he has the speed to contend with Barboza.
Ultimately, the Brazilian will catch him with a powerful kick that leads to a TKO win and a delighted crowd.
Bigfoot Will Thump Mir
As a submission artist, there aren’t many better than Mir. The problem with him recently is that he’s not able to get past his opponent’s stand-up game to take the fight to the ground.
Sunday’s main event won’t be any different. Silva is a massive and strong heavyweight with extremely heavy hands. If he connects with Mir’s chin, the end will come shortly thereafter. Even if Mir is able to get Silva to the ground, he’ll have to be at his best.
Silva is skilled on the mat as well, and his size makes it tough to gain an advantageous position against him. In a bout with two guys who shouldn’t ever be considered serious contenders again, Silva will prove to be the least shopworn.
Quick Hits on Top Preliminary Fights
Sweet Draw for Wendell Oliveira
TJ Waldburger has lost his last two fights—each by KO/TKO. He’s facing Wendell Oliveira on Sunday, a Brazilian with titanic punching power but questionable defense on the ground and standing.
In his last fight, Ponzinibbio stopped him in the first round with punches. This, however, is a fight Oliveira can win easily. Waldburger lacks the chin and quickness to handle Oliveira’s initial assault.
This fight will end quickly and violently, with Oliveira claiming the victory.
Reneau Will Power Her Way into Top 10
There’s a new threat on the horizon in the women’s bantamweight division. Marion Reneau is a well-balanced fighter with improving striking and an accomplished grappling base. She has a tough matchup on Sunday against Jessica Andrade, but Reneau has the advantage in poise and versatility. She’s just as comfortable on the mat as she is standing.
This fight will begin as a boxing match, but ultimately find its way to the ground where Reneau will finish matters via ground-and-pound.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter. I dig boxing and MMA.
One of the storylines leading into UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir was whether Frank Mir should consider retirement. But once the evening was over, that conversation changed.