UFC on FX 1 Results: Power Ranking the UFC’s Lightweight Division

At the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., UFC on FX became an instant success.From the preliminary portion of the event to the main card, all bouts were exciting and fan friendly, though the real story of the night were the lightweights, as former …

At the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., UFC on FX became an instant success.

From the preliminary portion of the event to the main card, all bouts were exciting and fan friendly, though the real story of the night were the lightweights, as former contenders Melvin Guillard and Jim Miller took center stage.

The New Jersey native managed to weather an early barrage from “The Young Assassin,” eventually cinching up the rear-naked choke inside of the first round.

The win helped ascend Miller back into the upper echelon of the division, though Guillard’s stock plummeted with his second defeat in as many bouts.

The lightweight division is notoriously unforgiving and always changing, so in the end, where does the weight class sit as a whole?

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5 Potential Fights for Jose Aldo at Lightweight

Shortly after Jose Aldo crushed Chad Mendes’ title hopes, (and face) at UFC 142 last weekend, fans started wondering whom the UFC could possibly put in front of its featherweight champion. Aldo has taken out everyone that Zuffa has asked him to, …

Shortly after Jose Aldo crushed Chad Mendes’ title hopes, (and face) at UFC 142 last weekend, fans started wondering whom the UFC could possibly put in front of its featherweight champion.

Aldo has taken out everyone that Zuffa has asked him to, and now there is a huge gap in talent between the champion and the challengers.

With guys like Dustin Poirier, Erik Koch, Hatsu Hioki and Chan Sung Jung all a win or two away from a shot at the title, many fans have started calling for Aldo to move up in weight and challenge a top contender at lightweight in a potential superfight.

The fighters on this list would all pose some interesting challenges for Aldo, as most would have a significant size advantage and a few might even be able to test Aldo’s ridiculous takedown defense.

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Jon Jones, Alistair Overeem and 10 Fighters Who Could Become the Face of the UFC

With Brock Lesnar retiring after UFC 141, the UFC needs Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar and Junior Dos Santos to become the new faces of the UFC. With the UFC growing in popularity because of their Fox deal, they’ll be looking to market young, exciting …

With Brock Lesnar retiring after UFC 141, the UFC needs Jon Jones, Frankie Edgar and Junior Dos Santos to become the new faces of the UFC.

With the UFC growing in popularity because of their Fox deal, they’ll be looking to market young, exciting fighters, and those three fighters exemplify those characteristics.

Their fanbases are growing with every impressive performance, and quite frankly, these fighters are a joy to watch. But which fighter will become the new face of the UFC?

With Georges St-Pierre out of action because of his knee injury, Anderson Silva getting older in his legendary career and Lesnar retired, these are the 10 fighters who could become the face of the UFC.

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Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson and Other MMA Fights We Need to See in 2012

The past year has left us with some great fights to remember. 2011 gave us instant classics such as Shogun vs. Henderson, Edgar vs. Maynard 2 and 3 and Alvarez vs. Chandler.Now those fights are behind us. It is time to look into the New Year and hopefu…

The past year has left us with some great fights to remember. 2011 gave us instant classics such as Shogun vs. Henderson, Edgar vs. Maynard 2 and 3 and Alvarez vs. Chandler.

Now those fights are behind us. It is time to look into the New Year and hopefully see some great matchups that will have the potential of besting some of the fights in previous years. Let’s get started.

 

Gilbert Melendez vs. Edgar/Ben Henderson Winner

There is no doubt that Gilbert Melendez is one of the top lightweights in the world. He has shown it by tearing through the Strikeforce lightweight division.

Strikeforce even brought Dream imports in Ishida, Aoki and Kawajiri—all who failed to stop Melendez.

Melendez has been hinting he wants to join the ranks of the UFC and challenge for the title to establish himself as the No. 1 lightweight. He has literary cleared out his division and is a large fish in a very small pond.

ZUFFA will have to bring him over to challenge the winner of Feb. 25 showdown between Frankie Edgar and Ben Henderson.

Nick Diaz already made the jump to the UFC. Melendez should also be in there fighting the best in the world—not only to establish an undisputed champion, but to also give the fans a super fight of champions.

We were already deprived of this matter this year. Injury forced GSP to pull out of his fight with Diaz, so why not make it up to the fans and make this fight happen? Fireworks are sure to be the result.

It could possibly be a showdown for the summer—perfect for 4th of July weekend. This could have fight of the year written all over it. Regardless of who is the UFC champ at the time, they both bring it.

 

Jon Jones vs. Dan Henderson

Dan Henderson is at a career high at the moment at the tender age of 41. That’s after capturing the Strikeforce light-heavyweight title from Feijao and beating two fellow Pride legends in Fedor and Shogun.

Jon Jones is also enjoying the same momentum as Henderson, but he is only 24 years old. He has had a phenomenal year 2011. He captured the title from the aforementioned Shogun Rua and defended it twice against Rampage and Lyoto Machida.

If Rashad wins his fight this month, he might get the first crack. I say let Henderson fight. His time in the sport is diminishing and the bout might never come to fruition if he fights another opponent or Jones falls to Evans.

This is an interesting fight for one reason: Henderson’s patented H-Bomb. He has shown in his recent outings that the only fighter who can survive it, barely, is Shogun.

Everyone has a puncher’s chance and that rings true for Dan Henderson. Should he land on Jones, it quite possible he going to sleep. Machida proved Jones’ chin can be checked.

Henderson poses the biggest threat at the moment to Jones. Rashad will probably come up short against Jones as his chin won’t last when he tries to close the distance. Henderson, on the other hand, can take a punch to give a punch.

This fight could serve as the old lion taking on the young one. It would be interesting to see how Jones will react if Henderson lands a punch on him.

 

Miguel Torres vs. Loser of Faber/Cruz

Another fight that would be great for fans in 2012 is between former bantamweight kingpin and the loser of the upcoming Faber vs. Cruz title fight.

Torres had a scare in 2011 when he was cut from the UFC, due to a tweet on rape vans. Now, after some apologizing, donations, and counseling, he is back.

A fight with either man will help put Torres back on the map. A win would put him in position for a shot at the title.

This will also lead to two mega fights we have been hoping for. A showdown with Faber and Cruz has been discussed quite a bit.

A win for Torres can lead to both dream fights happening. Torres also is one of the few bantamweights in the UFC that can give Dominick Cruz a run for his money.

It would be nice if Cruz beats Faber. A Torres and Faber fight, with a Torres win, would warrant a title. Cruz could defend his belt against Renan Pegado, if he wins his fight in February.

At the end of the day, the bantamweight division needs more exposure. It will get it with the new The Ultimate Fighter, which has Cruz and Faber as coaches.

Fights between the three biggest stars will help establish the division and will show people just how great this UFC division really is.

We can safely assume Joe Silva will put forward some incredible fights in 2012 for the fans to enjoy. Let’s hope that the fights discussed become a reality. They need to happen in MMA this year.

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UFC 141 Results: Nate Diaz vs Benson Henderson Breakdown

Nate Diaz is gearing up for a run at the UFC lightweight title, but depending on the outcome of the championship fight at UFC 144, the bout may not be against current champion Frankie Edgar.Former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is set to fac…

Nate Diaz is gearing up for a run at the UFC lightweight title, but depending on the outcome of the championship fight at UFC 144, the bout may not be against current champion Frankie Edgar.

Former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is set to face Edgar on February 26 to determine the king of the 155-pound division.

The opponent doesn’t necessarily matter to Diaz. He just wants an opportunity to capture a UFC title and finally prove he’s one of the best in the world.

While a bout against Edgar would be incredibly tough in its own right, Diaz would have a difficult time dealing with the pressure from Henderson’s persistent takedowns and strong top control.

Takedown defense has been a consistent problem with Diaz throughout his career. He tends to rely on his world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as the great equalizer in dealing with strong wrestlers, but his plans typically go awry when the wrestler has great submission defense.

Henderson could be seen as the Harry Houdini of MMA. He has performed some of the most impossible escapes in the past against accomplished grapplers.

Diaz’s best chances against Henderson will come in the standup exchanges. Henderson is a decent boxer who has the ability to string together simplified combinations. Diaz should be able to use his range, head movement and pinpoint accuracy to land often on the feet.

Can Diaz keep the bout standing?

This one question could decide the outcome of the entire fight. It’s tough to see Diaz stuffing Henderson’s takedowns, but in a five-round bout, it leaves plenty of opportunities for the Cesar Gracie student to nab a submission.

Stylistically, this just isn’t a good matchup for Diaz. Henderson would be relentless with his takedowns and eat chunks of time off the clock from top position.

“Smooth” takes the unanimous decision.

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B/R MMA Rankings for January: Top 10 Lightweights in MMA

A new year brings us a new set of rankings in the 155-pound lightweight division in MMA. Perhaps the most stacked division in the entire sport, the lightweights shot into the spotlight in 2011 and appear ready to do so again in 2012.The upcoming UFC …

A new year brings us a new set of rankings in the 155-pound lightweight division in MMA.

Perhaps the most stacked division in the entire sport, the lightweights shot into the spotlight in 2011 and appear ready to do so again in 2012.

The upcoming UFC lightweight title bout between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson will headline the UFC 144 fight card from Japan in February, a fight which many are calling an early candidate for Fight of the Year.

That fight is expected to settle the debate of who the best 155-pounder in the world is, but there are a number of other fighters who will be attempting to stake their claim to the lightweight throne in 2012.

These 10 lightweights are all on track and maybe only a fight or two away from their own chance at being No. 1 in the world.

These rankings are the combined effort of some of Bleacher Report MMA’s best writers, as we continue to try to provide you with the best content on the web.

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