Don’t count on Bobby Voelker to hang up his gloves in the near future. This Saturday night (May 20), Voelker will battle Zak Bucia for the Shamrock FC welterweight championship. The bout takes place inside the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, Missouri and will headline Shamrock FC 289. Voelker took the time to speak with MMANews.com‘s Tim […]
Don’t count on Bobby Voelker to hang up his gloves in the near future. This Saturday night (May 20), Voelker will battle Zak Bucia for the Shamrock FC welterweight championship. The bout takes place inside the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, Missouri and will headline Shamrock FC 289. Voelker took the time to speak with MMANews.com‘s Tim […]
Note:Reed’s book ‘Fightnomics’ is available now on Amazon (in Kindle and paperback versions), featuring 336 pages of statistical analysis on UFC fighters and the “hidden science” behind their fights. If you’ve been a fan of his Databomb columns, pick up a copy today. A full description of the book is at the end of this post.
While cranking through some statistical analysis of fighters competing at next weekend’s UFC 168 event, I came across a few tidbits that fit the character limit for tweetability. Tweet ‘em all you want, I’ll make more.
The Good:
• Anderson Silva has the highest Knockdown Rate of any fighter at #UFC168. 16% of his landed power head strikes cause a knockdown.
• In terms of Knockdown Rate, #UFC168 fighters Robert Peralta (14%) and Travis Browne (12%) are also way above average.
• Tibau vs Johnson at #UFC168 will be a rare Southpaw vs Southpaw matchup, or what I call a “Cyclone fight” due to the clockwise spin.
• Mostly likely to attempt takedowns at #UFC168 is Ronda Rousey who attempts 4 TDs per 5 min. round. Not that her rounds ever last that long.
• The most active standup striker at #UFC168 is Dennis Siver, who outworks his opponents by 59% in volume while standing.
• Hardest fighter to hit at #UFC168 is Anderson Silva, who avoids 82% of all head strikes thrown at him. Still, Weidman may only need one.
• Highest takedown defense at #UFC168 are Weidman & Browne, both 100%. Neither have been taken down despite each facing 7 attempts.
Note:Reed’s book ‘Fightnomics’ is available now on Amazon (in Kindle and paperback versions), featuring 336 pages of statistical analysis on UFC fighters and the “hidden science” behind their fights. If you’ve been a fan of his Databomb columns, pick up a copy today. A full description of the book is at the end of this post.
While cranking through some statistical analysis of fighters competing at next weekend’s UFC 168 event, I came across a few tidbits that fit the character limit for tweetability. Tweet ‘em all you want, I’ll make more.
The Good:
• Anderson Silva has the highest Knockdown Rate of any fighter at #UFC168. 16% of his landed power head strikes cause a knockdown.
• In terms of Knockdown Rate, #UFC168 fighters Robert Peralta (14%) and Travis Browne (12%) are also way above average.
• Tibau vs Johnson at #UFC168 will be a rare Southpaw vs. Southpaw matchup, or what I call a “Cyclone fight” due to the clockwise spin.
• Mostly likely to attempt takedowns at #UFC168 is Ronda Rousey who attempts 4 TDs per 5 min. round. Not that her rounds ever last that long.
• The most active standup striker at #UFC168 is Dennis Siver, who outworks his opponents by 59% in volume while standing.
• Hardest fighter to hit at #UFC168 is Anderson Silva, who avoids 82% of all head strikes thrown at him. Still, Weidman may only need one.
• Highest takedown defense at #UFC168 are Weidman & Browne, both 100%. Neither have been taken down despite each facing 7 attempts.
• The best takedown defense at #UFC168 is really Gleison Tibau at 92% against 62 total opponent attempts; he ranks #2 all-time behind GSP.
• Ronda Rousey has 0.72 submission attempts for every minute she has spent on the ground; closest 2nd at #UFC168 is Jim Miller at 0.37.
• Jim Miller has more total submission attempts in the UFC than any other fighter at #UFC168 with 29. One more & he wins an Octagon toaster.
• Denis Siver has the biggest pace advantage at #UFC168. He averages 12.8 Significant Strikes attempts/min, while Gamburyan averages 5.4.
• At 80.5” Uriah Hall will have the longest reach of any fighter at #UFC168, and >7” reach advantage over his opponent Chris Leben.
The Bad:
• Women’s champion Ronda Rousey will have the shortest reach of any fighter on the #UFC168 card at 66 inches. #irrelevant
• Weidman, Camoes, Brandao & Hall will all be facing southpaws. Generally, orthodox fighters fare a little worse when facing southpaws.
• The lowest paced standup striker at #UFC168 is Diego Brandao, who throws >40% fewer standup strike attempts than his opponents
• Lowest takedown defense at #UFC168 is Miesha Tate who only defended 1/5 attempts for 20%. Camoes not far behind (25%). But small samples.
• When fighting on the ground, Michael Johnson, Robert Peralta and Anderson Silva all mostly end up on their backs #UFC168
• Jim Miller and John Howard have both been swept for a ground position reversal 6 times by opponents, more than other fighters at #UFC168.
• 170’er William Macario is the only #UFC fighter ever who actually goes by the name “William.” There were 3 “Will”s though, and a “Willamy.”
The Ugly:
• Worst head striking defense at #UFC168 is Bobby Voelker, who only defends 57% of head strikes by opponents. Anderson Silva’s is best (82%).
• Both Rousey & Tate have very low head strike defense, meaning if they stand and trade they’re both going to look less pretty. #UFC168
• Denis Siver has suffered 6 knockdowns in his UFC career, more than anyone at #UFC168, despite having above average head strike defense.
• At 38.7 years old, Anderson Silva is the oldest fighter at #UFC168, meaning he is less likely to be submitted, but more likely to be KO’d.
• The worst Knockdown Resiliency rating at #UFC168 is Miesha Tate at 91%. She has suffered 3 knockdowns in Strikeforce/UFC.
• Despite having been KO’d by Weidman, Silva is still a -150 favorite at #UFC168, on par with when he fought Henderson -145 & Marquardt -150.
• Fabricio Camoes has the worst relative striking overall at #UFC168. His stats are below average in accuracy, power, pace & cage control.
• The final prelim bout pits some of the best head strike defense (Hall) vs some of the worst (Leben). Lots at stake in that fight. #UFC168
Fightnomics quantifies the underlying drivers of the world’s most exciting and fastest growing sport through deep analysis of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) competition. Part Freakonomics and part Moneyball, Fightnomics is a statistical spotlight on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and the fighters who compete in the Octagon.
Does size matter?
Is the Southpaw Advantage real for MMA?
Is it better to be young or experienced in a fight?
How is the UFC Tale of the Tape lying to us?
What makes a strike significant?
What about Ring Rust, Octagon Jitters, or the Home Cage Advantage?
Just how accurate are betting odds?
Theories about how MMA works get put to the test with a little bit of science, and a whole lot of numbers. Fightnomics is the deepest and most complete analysis to date of historical UFC data that answers common, yet hotly debated questions about the sport. The fight game will never quite look the same once you’ve learned what really matters in a cage fight, and even a few surprising things that don’t.
Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson delivered another exciting, winning performance last night in the main event of UFC on Fox 8. The champ defended his title successfully with a fifth round arm bar submission win over challenger John Moraga.
Long before the submission, however, it looked like Johnson was going to walk away with a clear-cut victory. The Washington resident used his footwork, take downs, ground striking and submission attempts to put on a show for his home town crowd in Seattle Saturday night. Johnson took the two-time All-American wrestler Moraga down at will and worked him over with choke and arm bar attempts before finally securing the fight-ending hold in the last round.
For his part, Moraga never appeared to break or give in. He simply was no match for the champion.
Post fight, Johnson said that, while he is satisfied to continue to defend his 125 pound belt, he is open to doing “super fights” with champions of heavier divisions. “[A superfight] is just something to throw out there,” Johnson said at the post-event press conference. “I’m still focused on my weight division. I know there’s up-and-coming fighters who are trying to come up and take what’s mine, and I’ll be there to defend it for the fans.”
“I think everybody is focused on Anderson Silva, ‘GSP’ and all those guys,” Johnson continued. “But I think we can make some fun super fights down in a lighter-weight division with the flyweights fighting the bantamweights. I know the bantamweights have some things to work out, and then we’ll see what happens. I’m just here to fight and have a good time and put on a good performance for the UFC and the fans.”
Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger’s war of tweets came to a relatively muted climax in the co-main event. MacDonald used masterful foot work, angles and a stiff, precise jab to out-point Ellenberger and win a decision. Scores were 30-27 (twice) and 29-28 for MacDonald.
MacDonald managed to stay elusive while stalking Ellenberger for much of the fight. Ellenberger swang hard in spurts with his hooks behind a peek-a-boo posture, but mostly whiffed. Late in the third round, Ellenberger was finally able to catch Rory with a big shot and take down but the young Canadian immediately switched to offense from his back, threatening to get up with butterfly guards and with triangle choke and oma-plata shoulder lock attempts, before taking his opponent’s back at the final horn.
Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson delivered another exciting, winning performance last night in the main event of UFC on Fox 8. The champ defended his title successfully with a fifth round arm bar submission win over challenger John Moraga.
Long before the submission, however, it looked like Johnson was going to walk away with a clear-cut victory. The Washington resident used his footwork, take downs, ground striking and submission attempts to put on a show for his home town crowd in Seattle Saturday night. Johnson took the two-time All-American wrestler Moraga down at will and worked him over with choke and arm bar attempts before finally securing the fight-ending hold in the last round.
For his part, Moraga never appeared to break or give in. He simply was no match for the champion.
Post fight, Johnson said that, while he is satisfied to continue to defend his 125 pound belt, he is open to doing “super fights” with champions of heavier divisions. “[A superfight] is just something to throw out there,” Johnson said at the post-event press conference. “I’m still focused on my weight division. I know there’s up-and-coming fighters who are trying to come up and take what’s mine, and I’ll be there to defend it for the fans.”
“I think everybody is focused on Anderson Silva, ‘GSP’ and all those guys,” Johnson continued. “But I think we can make some fun super fights down in a lighter-weight division with the flyweights fighting the bantamweights. I know the bantamweights have some things to work out, and then we’ll see what happens. I’m just here to fight and have a good time and put on a good performance for the UFC and the fans.”
Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger’s war of tweets came to a relatively muted climax in the co-main event. MacDonald used masterful foot work, angles and a stiff, precise jab to out-point Ellenberger and win a decision. Scores were 30-27 (twice) and 29-28 for MacDonald.
MacDonald managed to stay elusive while stalking Ellenberger for much of the fight. Ellenberger swang hard in spurts with his hooks behind a peek-a-boo posture, but mostly whiffed. Late in the third round, Ellenberger was finally able to catch Rory with a big shot and take down but the young Canadian immediately switched to offense from his back, threatening to get up with butterfly guards and with triangle choke and oma-plata shoulder lock attempts, before taking his opponent’s back at the final horn.
MacDonald continued to move forward in the UFC welterweight rankings behind champion and teammate Georges St. Pierre. However, the twenty three year-old reiterated on the Fuel TV post event show that, while he wants to be champion by the age of twenty five, he will never fight St. Pierre.
Robbie Lawler took out his late-notice opponent, Strikeforce veteran Bobby Voelker with head kick and strikes on the ground early on in the second round of their welterweight fight. The KO win is Lawler’s second consecutive knock out since returning to the organization.
Liz Carmouche notched her first UFC win with a second round TKO over Jessica Andrade. Carmouche used repeated take downs to ground her opponent and survived an early guillotine choke before finishing with strikes from the mount.
Fight of the Night $50,000 honors and bonuses went to Trevor Smith and Ed Herman for their undercard war. Demetrious Johnson earned Submission of the Night recognition and the $50k prize that went with it. Melvin Guillard took home the same amount in bonus money for his Knockout of the Night win over Mac Danzig.
The main card for UFC on FOX 8: Johnson vs. Moraga kicks off at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and our man George Shunick will be hooking us up with round-by-round results, after the jump. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and toss your own thoughts, predictions, and one-liners into the comments section. Thanks for being here.
The main card for UFC on FOX 8: Johnson vs. Moraga kicks off at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, and our man George Shunick will be hooking us up with round-by-round results, after the jump. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and toss your own thoughts, predictions, and one-liners into the comments section. Thanks for being here.
Welcome to the liveblog, Potato Nation. Tonight’s fights have been… interesting to say the least. With another split-decision, UFC on FOX 8 will break the record for most split-decisions on a single card. Not exactly the most prestigious record. Moreover, two of those decisions have had 30-27/27-30 splits. I guess what I’m saying is hopefully the judging incompetence has been pre-emptively exorcised tonight before the title fight between John Moraga and Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson. With that said, judging aside, tonight’s card should be excellence. My picks? Johnson, Patrick Bateman Rory MacDonald, Robbie Lawler and Liz Carmouche. OK, not the most exciting picks out there. (BUT WE’LL SEE WHO HAS THE LAST LAUGH WHEN THEY WIN.) Now let’s get to the fights…
Liz Carmouche vs. Jessica Andrade
Yeah, I know next to nothing about Andrade. Unprofessional, I know. Still, gotta go with Carmouche here simply by virtue of her experience. You hang as well as she did with Ronda Rousey, you’re gonna be the favorite.
Round 1
Carmouche refuses to touch gloves to begin. Andrade catches a kick, but Carmouche muscles her against the fence. Carmouche slames her with a double leg and gets side control. Andrade turtles, but Carmouche stays on her as she works short punches. Andrade gets to her feet, but is pushed into the fence again. Andrade briefly reverses position, but not for long. Carmouche works short strikes along the fence. Carmouche lands a takedown and ends up in half-guard. Andrade goes for a sweep, fails, and gives up side control. Andrade tries to use the cage to escape, to no avail. Andrade escapes, stands and SLAMS Carmouche down. Now she grabs a gullotine as Carmouche tries to go for a takedown. It’s tight, but Carmouche is fighting it. Andrade alternates between an intense grip and a lighter one, pacing herself. As the round end, Andrade cranks but Carmouche survives. Close round with the submission attempt at the end.
Round 2
Carmouche looks for front kicks, but doesn’t connect. Andrade runs full speed at Carmouche and Carmouche easily changes levels and lands a takedown. Carmouche lands strikes from halg-guard and passes to side control. Then mount. Serious ground and pound from Carmouche. Andrade rolls over and flattens out. Carmouche with vicious strikes to the side of Andrade’s head. Now working for an RNC. Andrade is managing to survive and escape. Now she’s eating shots from mount, though. Again she rolls to her back, and again she’s flattened out. Elbows to the side of Andrade’s head thud on the mat. More elbows and punches from mount. Carmouche with a solid minute of unanswered shots and Herb Dean is close to stopping it. And he does. Andrade never gave up, but she had no answer for Carmouche’s ground and pound.
There was a moment in that fight where Carmouche was elbowing Andrade’s head as it was trapped against the mat, and the thud was sickeningly audible. Andrade is tough and wasn’t going to give in, but that’s why you’ve got refs.
Robbie Lawler vs. Bobby Voelker
The battle to decide who has the better nickname for “Robert” begins!
Round 1
Voelker lands a short right. Lots of circling in the first minute. Jab from Voelker. Low kick from Voelker answered by a body kick from Lawler. Lawler grabs Voelker and simply tosses him down. Lawler lands a knee to the midsection as Voelker stands. Now against the cage, Lawler lands another knee to the body, then one to the head. Voelker is cut on the bridge of his nose. Big uppercut from Lawler. Headkick form Voelker is blocked. Lawler checks a kick. Head kick from Lawler barely misses. Voelker has trouble closing the distance in this fight. Lawler with a flying knee that lands! Voelker remains unfazed, but ineffective. Elbow from Lawler. Body kick from Voelker. Nice jab from Lawler. BIG kick to the body from Lawler, then another flying knee. They exchange in the center of the Octagon until the bell rings. 10-9 Lawler.
Round 2
Lawler lands a headkick to Voelker forehead and Voelker is out. He sits down, unconscious, and Lawler adds a punch to accentuate his point. Robbie Lawler surpassed expectations, which is impressive considering we expected him to do something like this.
I’ve got Rory here. Ellenberger’s definitely got more power, but he tends to gas after about a round and a half. He can get the knockout, but I doubt he’ll win a decision. And I don’t see him getting close enough to knock out MacDonald. Still, if it’s any consolation, I think he’s got the best of Rory in their twitter exchanges.
Round 1
They don’t touch gloves. Duh. Jab from Rory lands. Ellenberger blocks a kick. Ellenberger lunches for a cross, but can’t land it. Not a lot of action thus far. Both men are sizing each other up. Jab from Rory again. More jabs land, but nothing substantive. The crowd is beginning to grow restless. Ellenberger lands a jab of his own. Neither is commiting to entering into striking range. MacDonald tries a high kick, but it’s blocked. Ellenberger rushes in with a flurry and lands a knee. Ellenberger misses with a left-right combination. MacDonald blocks a headkick and evades a hook. Ellenberger slips a double jab. He reaches for a hook and it doesn’t connect. Rory lands a jab. They clinch but nothing comes of it. Round ends, 10-9 MacDonald or 10-10.
Round 2
Front kick lands from Rory. 30 seconds in and the crowd is already booing. Ellenberger simply can’t close the distance. He lands a hook, but MacDonald quickly lands a jab. Rory barely misses a front kick. Ellenberger shoots, but Rory stuffs it. Ellenberger lands an uppercut, though. More jabs from MacDonald. Rogan’s harping on MacDonald’s jab, but it’s rarely landed flush. Rory shoots for a takedown and is stuffed. There’s a brief flurry and they separate. Head kick from MacDonald misses. Ellenberger begins lunging with hooks, but he’s just hitting air. Ellenberger rushes, but still can’t catch MacDonald who angles out. The crowd is full on booing as the round ends. 10-9 MacDonald.
Round 3
Rory throwing front kicks, keeping Ellenberger at bay. More jabs from MacDonald. Ellenberger thinks about a spinning backfist, but Rory’s gone when he turns around. Another jab. Ellenberger tries to use a takedown attempt to set up some strikes, but it doesn’t work. He lands a jab, though. Then a right hand. Ellenberger needs to push forwarrd if he has any hope winning. MacDonald slips, but immediately returns to his feet. Ellenberger doesn’t capitalize, merely landing a left hook. Front kick from Rory again backs up Ellenberger. A jab stops him in his tracks. Ellenberger lands a right hand and then a takedown. With less than a minute to work, MacDonald has Ellenberger in butterfly guard. MacDonald attempts a sweep, then uses the threat of a triangle to neutralize Ellenberger. The round ends as they scramble. 10-9 MacDonald? I guess he takes this 30-28.
30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 for Rory MacDonald. No post-fight interview as the crowd boos heavily. I wouldn’t go as far as to call this a technical showcase by MacDonald, but he did manage to neutralize Ellenberger. But this fight definitely failed to meet expectations.
Demetrious Johnson vs. John Moraga
But this fight won’t! Seriously, name a boring flyweight fight. Just one. I’m not going to hold my breath. Demetrious Johnson is perhaps the most technically and strategically sound fighter in the UFC. And he probably has the best cardio as well. There’s no way this one’s a snoozer.
Round 1
Johnson lands a low kick. Mighty Mouse switching stances. Moraga goes to the body. Body kick from Moraga. Moraga’s having trouble catching Johnson though. He lands a right after a DJ takedown attempt. Hard low kicks from Moraga. Right hand from Johnson who tries for a Thai clinch. Moraga pushes him into the fence, but Johnson reverses position. They exchange weak knees. Johnson grabs a double leg and gets side control. Moraga hangs on to a headlock, but Johnson gets out and looks for a kimura. he gives up on it and looks for a mounted crucifix. Moraga regains half guard, though. Johnson lands some decent ground and pound. Moraga uses a leglock attempt to try to sweep, but ends up in a front headlock. he turtles, and Johnson attempts a buzzer beating guillotine, but the round ends. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 2
Low kick from Moraga. Johnson returns with his own. Big takedown from Johnson as Moraga rushed in. Johnson passes to side control like it was nothing. Johnson attempts the crucifix again, but quickly goes back to side control. Johnson works short strikes from the top. Moraga scrambles and looks for a reverse triangle, but it’s for naught. Johnson’s in side control again. Johnson looks for a kimura, and uses this to try to get to north-south. However, Moraga turns his back and tries to stand. He eats a slam for his troubles. Moraga manges to stand, eats a knee, and tries to get a takedown on the fence. Johnson escapes and lands a hard low kick. Nice counter jab from Moraga, but Johnson lands a big double leg. Moraga tries to work for a choke despite being on the bottom in side control. He regains half-guard, though. Johnson works for the kimura again, but settles for some ground and pound instead. Round over, 10-9 Johnson.
Round 3
Low kick Johnson, and another after a faked takedown. Moraga is slowing down a little. Body kick from Johnson. Moraga misses a kick and follow up punches. Another double leg for Johnson. He’s in full guard as Moraga works short elbows from the bottom. But DJ quickly passes to side control. Once again, he works for a kimura, but Moraga turtles. Johnson gets a hook in but not the second. They stand. A knee and elbow land for Moraga, and he pushes Johnson into the fence. He tries to take Johnson down, only to have Johnson spin him around. Johnson is in half-guard, and again works for that kimura. He’s got the grip and the arm isolated! He takes his time, but loses it and has his back to the fence, sitting down. Johnson stands against the fence, and they exchange knees. Moraga lands a takedown, but as soon as he does, Johnson sits up and they stand. Moraga falls down as he misses a spinning back kick. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 4
Moraga misses a combination. Johnson lands a body kick, but Moraga answers with one of his own. Then he’s immediately taken down. I imagine he must be a little frustrated by now. Johnson has a front headlock as Moraga is turtled. He spins and tries to take Moraga’s back. Moraga stands and eats a body kick as he does. Low kick Mighty Mouse. Another body kick. head kick from Johnson misses. Johnson delivers a knee from the Thai clinch, separates and lands a takedown. He’s in full guard, Moraga pushes him off and stands. Now Johnson grabs the Thai clinch. He lands a knee and pushes him into the fence. Johnson lands a knee to Moraga’s face as Moraga’s hand just touches the floor, but nothing is called. Johnson has a front headlock and knees the body. He unleashes a combination, but Moraga stands and tries for a single. Nope. Standing, Mighty Mouse misses a headkick. Moraga lands a BIG shot with thirty seconds left, rushes after the injured Johnson… and gets taken down. Johnson is bleeding, but that doesn’t stop him from passing to side control as the round ends. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 5
They touch gloves. Low kick from Johnson. Another one. Johnson slips a left and lands his tenth takedown. He passes to side control. Moraga hip escapes, stands, and is immediately taken down. And Johnson passes to side control. Some deja vu here. Johnson grabs a front headlock as Moraga turtles. Johnson works short knees to the shoulders. Moraga stands, tries for a toss, but gets taken down. Johnson in side control. (Obviously.) Works short knees to Moraga’s ribs. Mighty Mouse looking to isolate Moraga’s arm for a kimura. He goes for an armbar and he gets it!! That’s how a champion does it; clearly ahead on the scorecards, Johnson never let up or stopped looking for a finish. Exceptional performance from Mighty Mouse in an excellent, if one-sided main event.
Johnson gets the record for the latest stoppage in UFC history with only 1:17 left in the first round. I believe that tops Anderson Silva’s submission of Chael Sonnen at UFC 117. That about wraps it up for tonight, folks. Enjoy your evening, Potato Nation!
UFC on FOX 8 Preliminary Card Results:
– Jorge Masvidal def. Michael Chiesa via submission (d’arce choke), 4:59 of round 2
– Danny Castillo def. Tim Means via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Melvin Guillard def. Mac Danzig via KO, 2:47 of round 2
– Daron Cruickshank def. Yves Edwards via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 30-27)
– Ed Herman def. Trevor Smith via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
– Germaine de Randamie def. Julie Kedzie via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
– Justin Salas def. Aaron Riley via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Yaotzin Meza def. John Albert via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:49 of round 2
The UFC on Fox 8: Road to the Octagon documentary special premiered tonight. If you missed it, we’ve got you covered above with video of the full episode.
The show takes you on the inside the three top fights from this coming Saturday’s big card.
Bobby Voelker fights Robbie Lawler on short notice and gets a chance to get back on the winning track in a huge way. Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald’ssilly intense twitter war culminates in an actual fight between top welterweights.
John Moraga challenges Demetrious Johnson for the 125 pound world title and gets the chance to answer the question, “Who is John Moraga?” Even if you weren’t super pumped for this card before, seeing the lives of these guys and their behind the scenes training should get you at least a little amped up.
Sure, you could do something other than sit on your ass for the next forty five minutes. But, you probably won’t. So, enjoy another fun Road to the Octagon special.
The UFC on Fox 8: Road to the Octagon documentary special premiered tonight. If you missed it, we’ve got you covered above with video of the full episode.
The show takes you on the inside the three top fights from this coming Saturday’s big card.
Bobby Voelker fights Robbie Lawler on short notice and gets a chance to get back on the winning track in a huge way. Jake Ellenberger and Rory MacDonald’ssilly intense twitter war culminates in an actual fight between top welterweights.
John Moraga challenges Demetrious Johnson for the 125 pound world title and gets the chance to answer the question, “Who is John Moraga?” Even if you weren’t super pumped for this card before, seeing the lives of these guys and their behind the scenes training should get you at least a little amped up.
Sure, you could do something other than sit on your ass for the next forty five minutes. But, you probably won’t. So, enjoy another fun Road to the Octagon special.
(Contrary to what R. Kelly always told him, Voelker was never able to spread his wings and fly away just because he believed he could.)
We swear this will be our last Patrick Cote-related article for at least a few days, you guys. But being that “The Predator” recently announced his drop to the welterweight division following the cancellation of his rematch with Alessio Sakara and declared that he was still hoping to still fight at UFC 158, we figured we would at least write a follow up now that an opponent has in fact been named. Yes, Cote will be fighting on the Montreal card in his welterweight debut against Bobby “Vicious” Voelker, a five-fight Strikeforce Challengers veteran who boasts an impressive 24-8 record to his credit.
Known for his trio of highly entertaining bouts with Roger Bowling under the Strikeforce: Challengers banner, the 33 year-old Kansas City native has developed a reputation as a comeback specialist, so check out some of his handiwork after the jump.
(Contrary to what R. Kelly always told him, Voelker was never able to spread his wings and fly away just because he believed he could.)
We swear this will be our last Patrick Cote-related article for at least a few days, you guys. But being that “The Predator” recently announced his drop to the welterweight division following the cancellation of his rematch with Alessio Sakara and declared that he was still hoping to still fight at UFC 158, we figured we would at least write a follow up now that an opponent has in fact been named. Yes, Cote will be fighting on the Montreal card in his welterweight debut against Bobby “Vicious” Voelker, a five-fight Strikeforce Challengers veteran who boasts an impressive 24-8 record to his credit.
Known for his trio of highly entertaining bouts with Roger Bowling under the Strikeforce: Challengers banner, the 33 year-old Kansas City native has developed a reputation as a comeback specialist, so check out some of his handiwork after the jump.
Voelker vs. Roger Bowling I
From the opening moments in what would become the very first — and presumably last (sad face) — trilogy in Challengers history, Bobby Voelker and Roger Bowling showed up and threw down. Following a successful debut victory over Erik Apple via second round TKO at Challengers 5, Voelker was shut down by the powerful hands and aggressive wrestling output of Bowling, who managed to rock Voelker on multiple occasions and keep him off balance for the majority of their fight at Challengers 8. Unfortunately, the fight would come to an anticlimactic end in the third when, following an accidental poke to the eye by Voelker, Bowling was unable to continue and handed the technical decision victory.
At the very next Challengers event, Voelker and Devela engaged in a grinder of a match that again saw Voelker overwehlmed by his opponent’s grappling in the early going. However, Voelker was able to turn the tide midway through the fight, and with a little help from his superior gas tank, was able to snag a controversial split decision victory when all was said and done.
Voelker vs. Bowling: Part Deux
Voelker was again paired up against Bowling at Challengers 11 — this time in the main event of the evening – and where Bowling’s wrestling and power shots dictated the first fight, it was Voelker’s improved takedown defense and crisp counter-striking that dictated the second. After wading through damn near everything his faster foe had to offer in the first round, Voelker capitalized on a sloppy takedown attempt by Bowling midway through the second and pounded away from the guard until referee Dan Stell called a stop to the fight with just over a minute remaining.
Voelker vs. Bowling III
July 22nd, 2011 would set the stage for the final and most decisive meeting between Voelker and Bowling yet. The event was Challengers 11, with the duo once again finding themselves in the main event slot. The fight started out in relatively the same fashion as the first two, with Bowling utilizing his speed and diverse striking attack to keep Voelker on the defensive.
As noted by lyrical wordsmith Mauro Ranallo, deja vu would rear its ugly head when an errant finger by Voelker would find the very same eye of Bowling that led to the stoppage of the first fight. Thankfully, Bowling was able to continue and even managed to rock Voelker towards the end of the first. But once again, Voelker would come alive midway through the second, delivering a knee to the jaw of Bowling that put him on queer street. The opening would be all that Voelker would need, as he finished off the trilogy with a series of follow up punches shortly thereafter.
So, Potato Nation, now that you’ve seen what Voelker has to offer, do you think Cote’s poor run of luck in the UFC will continue at UFC 158? Or will Cote’s size advantage and high level experience lead him to victory?
