UFC 150 is just a few weeks away, and Jeremy Botter is here to take a look at two of the top fights on the card in his latest video.Benson Henderson will defend his newly-won lightweight title against Frankie Edgar, the man he captured it from back in …
UFC 150 is just a few weeks away, and Jeremy Botter is here to take a look at two of the top fights on the card in his latest video.
Benson Henderson will defend his newly-won lightweight title against Frankie Edgar, the man he captured it from back in February. How will the fight play out? Will Edgar have anything new to offer the champion, or is this a pointless rematch?
Jeremy also takes a look at the co-main event between Donald Cerrone and Melvin Guillard, two lightweights trying to claw their way back into title contention.
Check out the video above, and leave your comments about both fights—or anything else UFC 150-related—in the comments below.
Are you still feeling emotionally drained from the Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen fight?Well, it’s time to snap out of it.As they say, the show goes on, and there are a multitude of summer fight cards left to be excited about.The UFC leads the slate o…
Are you still feeling emotionally drained from the Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen fight?
Well, it’s time to snap out of it.
As they say, the show goes on, and there are a multitude of summer fight cards left to be excited about.
The UFC leads the slate of anticipated fight cards with four championship bouts. Jon Jones and Benson Henderson will be defending their titles this summer, and there will also be the crowning of the first-ever UFC flyweight champion.
For Strikeforce, women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will be in action. In less than a year, Rousey has emerged onto the scene as not only the face of women’s MMA, but she is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the entire sport.
On the Bellator front, Pat Curran defends his featherweight title, and the tournament-based promotion welcomes a former UFC contender.
Stop moping, grab a cold beverage out the fridge and dust off the old recliner. You’ll definitely need it.
Here are 10 must-see MMA events left for the summer.
Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter caught up with UFC lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson last week in Las Vegas during the UFC Fan Expo.Henderson is scheduled for a rematch with former champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 in August.The pair discu…
Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter caught up with UFC lightweight champion Benson “Smooth” Henderson last week in Las Vegas during the UFC Fan Expo.
Henderson is scheduled for a rematch with former champion Frankie Edgar at UFC 150 in August.
The pair discuss Henderson’s rise to fame and what has changed for him personally, the state of the lightweight division and much more.
Casual fans love few things more than heavyweight fights. If they cannot have a heavyweight fight, they will settle on a light heavyweight fight. There is no getting around this. Fans love to see big dudes punch each other in the same way they want to …
Casual fans love few things more than heavyweight fights. If they cannot have a heavyweight fight, they will settle on a light heavyweight fight.
There is no getting around this. Fans love to see big dudes punch each other in the same way they want to see Godzilla throw King Kong through the Sears Tower. In recent years many have extrapolated from this that, since fans love to see big guys fight, they must then not care as much about seeing smaller guys fight. This idea, however, is not entirely accurate.
It is important to point out that recent buyrates certainly seem to indicate that bigger is better. The two highest-selling cards of 2012 so far have been UFC 145, which featured a light heavyweight title bout with Jon Jones and Rashad Evans (which garnered 700,000 buys), and the all-heavyweight UFC 146 (which drew 560,000 buys).
Cards headlined by smaller fighters have not had nearly as much success. Just take a look at UFC 136.
The event featured two title bouts, with Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III for the lightweight belt and Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian competing for the top spot in the featherweight division. On top of that, it had two likely-top-contender bouts in Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann and Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard. Also? Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia II.
Five exciting fights. One of the most stacked cards in UFC history. It drew 225,000 buys, not even one third of UFC 145.
That hurts.
UFC 136 was no anomaly, either. UFC 142, headlined by Jose Aldo vs. Chad Mendes, drew only 235,000 buys. UFC 125, headlined by Edgar vs. Maynard II, had just 270,000 buys. Because of this pattern, the UFC has had very little faith in the drawing power of anybody smaller than a welterweight.
They had a Dominick Cruz title bout relegated to cable TV.
They are yet to have part of their flyweight championship tournament on pay-per-view.
Twice, they had Jose Aldo defend his belt in a co-main event before making him a featured fighter. His first time headlining a card was the aforementioned UFC 142.
While all that sounds very, very bad this is likely only a temporary problem. Why?
Well, the main thing is that there have been highly successful lightweights in the past. BJ Penn headlined UFC 84 against Sean Sherk and drew 475,000 buys. A year and a half later, BJ Penn vs. Diego Sanchez had top billing at UFC 107 and attracted 620,000 buys.
It is frequently said that the UFC’s lightweight division is staggeringly deep. This is entirely true and, unfortunately for the UFC, that means that no lightweight fighter has strung together enough wins to be an especially great draw.
Frankie Edgar was on the right track. While he generated lukewarm interest in his first two times as a card’s main man, he had a solid turnout for UFC 144, which scored 375,000 buys. It is possible, however, that this number got a boost from the hype surrounding the UFC’s return to Japan. Regardless, the UFC may be back to square one, since Edgar lost his fight there to Ben Henderson.
While it is possible that fans just want to see dominant champions, what of Cruz and Aldo? The featherweight and bantamweight champs are two of the best fighters in MMA today, and have had very little difficulty keeping their belts.
That is difficult to peg, but there are a few possible explanations.
Cruz and Aldo have a combined five UFC fights. Even though few would deny that they are top-five pound-for-pound fighters, both of them rose to fame in the WEC promotion. Back footage of WEC events, unfortunately, is unavailable for any sort of UFC Unleashed-type show, meaning a strong majority of new or casual fans have never seen bouts like Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber or Dominick Cruz vs. Brian Bowles.
On top of that, the WEC was never a consistent draw on Versus TV. Ratings for events were occasionally amazing (especially surrounding Urijah Faber) but even high-profile events like WEC 50, headlined by Cruz vs. Benavidez II, drew just 316,000 viewers.
Furthermore, Cruz and Aldo also only have one finish between them in the UFC (Aldo beat Chad Mendes with a scary knee at UFC 142). While neither fighter is boring by any means, nothing turns a fighter’s status around like a highlight reel knockout. Even though Aldo ended his most recent fight with a fantastic KO, it did not generate the buzz that Barboza vs. Etim or Silva vs. Belfort did.
Similarly, neither fighter has really gotten much publicity with the UFC until very recently. Dominick Cruz had a great deal of spotlight on him, courtesy of his time coaching The Ultimate Fighter: Live, but the hype surrounding his rubber match with Urijah Faber died when he suffered a knee injury that will keep him from competing for a long while. Aldo, meanwhile, remains in relative obscurity in the states, and promotional opportunities will continue to elude him until he learns to speak English.
Last but not least, neither has had anything out of the cage to be interested in. The featherweight champ has no serious threats to his throne, and nobody has called him out in any particularly interesting way. The same was true for Cruz until Urijah Faber became a full-blown rival (which, again, is now on indefinite hold).
BJ Penn was an absolutely dominant lightweight champion, but he had more than his fair share of rivals. Anderson Silva, obviously, has Chael Sonnen. GSP had his foils. Aldo and Cruz, though, have not had an opponent to get excited in years and that has been a serious problem for the UFC.
Whether it is one of these things, specifically, or a combination of all of the above, the problem is not a complete disinterest in fighters who weigh under 170 lbs. The top fighters in the lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight divisions are simply yet to grow roots in fans’ wallets. This will change one day. Maybe not this year. Maybe not even with these fighters.
The thing is, aficionados love to see great fights. If somebody puts together enough of them, they will take notice regardless of their weight class.
Whether you just have a short downtime during work or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed-up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, thi…
Whether you just have a short downtime during work or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights. In a summed-up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables, this will analyze what could happen in the fight and end with this writer’s prediction.
The UFC will be once again be broadcasting on FX this Friday and will be bringing a great headliner matchup between lightweights Gray Maynard and Clay Guida. The UFC returns to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the event will take place at the Revel Casino.
Facebook prelims start at 5:00 p.m. EST, followed by Fuel TV prelims at 6:00 p.m. EST, leading to the main card on FX at 9:00 p.m. EST.
In the blue corner, you have Clay Guida, who is 29-12 in his career. “The Carpenter” will be coming in off a loss to current lightweight champion, Benson Henderson, and is looking to reclaim his momentum toward a title shot.
The title shot is something that has eluded Guida over the years, but every fight he has been in has been a show. Guida comes to fight and it is a safe bet to expect high energy levels and some bloodshed.
In the red corner, you have Gray Maynard, who is 10-1-1(1). “The Bully” has had great success in the UFC, acquiring 10 wins in a row before facing Frankie Edgar for the title. After their fight went to a draw, and the rematch won by Edgar, Maynard is ready to get back on track.
While he has only fought one man over the last two years, he will now have his chance to prove himself against another quick and energetic striker.
Styles make fights, as they say, and both bring something unique into this fight. Guida has stamina and a relentless pace that is challenging for any opponent. Maynard, while showing some striking, has a forte for wrestling. Guida has a wrestling background as well, but not to the same caliber of Maynard, and has not really focused on using that part of his game in his fights.
Guida will look to use his speed and movement to catch Maynard, but if Maynard can get a hold of him, he may be able to lay-and-pray to a decision. Guida is one to put up a fight and get off the ground quickly, but time will tell if the two opposing grappling strengths will cancel or overpower the other.
As long as Maynard’s stamina holds up and he doesn’t lose focus, he can control this fight. However, it may only be the striking and pace set by Guida that will provide a finish.
Prediction: Clay Guida wins via TKO in the second round.
When the UFC was first created, they lived up to their tagline, “There are no rules.” But as scrutiny and protest continued, the inevitable arrival of rules and regulations were implemented gradually, if the UFC.
When the UFC was first created, they lived up to their tagline, “There are no rules.” But as scrutiny and protest continued, the inevitable arrival of rules and regulations were implemented gradually, if the UFC expected to grow and reform. However, with all rules, there are gray areas, and therefore cases with state athletic commissions.
Clay Guida and Gray Maynard are expected to face each other in the octagon at UFC on FX 4 this Friday. About a month ago, Maynard’s camp made a complaint to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board that has just recently come into fruition. The complaint regarded Guida’s famous locks. Maynard’s camp believes that Guida’s long hair proves as an unfair advantage in the octagon, and creates a distraction for his opponent. While Maynard claims to have had no knowledge of this complaint until it hit the media, I find it hard to believe.
In some respects, looking at the unified rules in black and white, it makes sense. Fighters are supposed to maintain a clean, tidy appearance, and if the head or facial hair proves to be a hazard, or interferes with the contest, the fighter isn’t allowed to fight until the commission approves of any and all changes. I can see how hair could be distracting for another fighter, especially one with such an unorthodox style such as Clay Guida’s. As of UFC 15, hair pulling was banned from the sport. Dealing with a fighter with longer hair would put strain on the opponent, making sure to avoid accidentally pulling or catching the hair. This could give an advantage to the opponent with long hair, as the other fighter would have to be careful with submissions and ground game.
On the other hand, it is just hair. It seems very trivial to pick out something so minute in an opponent, as Clay Guida has never had a problem with an opponent in the history of his career. He did, however, have a slight issue when UFC undisputed didn’t put Guida in the game because designing his hair posed too much of a problem. Dana White has suggested the fighter cut his locks, offering him a sweet deal of $10,000. However, Guida still sports his trademark hair. A number of fighters in the organization also have long hair including: Roy Nelson, Cody McKenzie, Louis Gaudinot, Benson Henderson, and Urijah Faber (until recently). In most instances with other fighters, it hasn’t posed a problem.
To avoid conflict, Clay Guida has agreed to braid his hair back for the fight. While he wasn’t ecstatic about it, he was understanding, and did what had to be done to continue with this fight. With other rules being targeted and reinforced in recent years, it is safe to assume that the unified rules will eventually have clarification on hair, and whether or not it needs to always be tied back. While this seems like a trivial matter, appearance of a fighter in MMA can have just as much impact on the sport as the fight itself- just ask Dana White what he thought about Dennis Hallman’s attire choice at UFC 133.
Casual fans love few things more than heavyweight fights. If they cannot have a heavyweight fight, they will settle on a light heavyweight fight.