One former welterweight prospect and a slew of other UFC fighters have been cut from the world’s leading MMA promotion. Brandon Thatch, who just a few years ago was a highly touted prospect, is among the ten fighters who were given their walking papers this week, according to UFC Fighters Info. Nate Diaz’s friend and
One former welterweight prospect and a slew of other UFC fighters have been cut from the world’s leading MMA promotion.
Brandon Thatch, who just a few years ago was a highly touted prospect, is among the ten fighters who were given their walking papers this week, according to UFC Fighters Info.
Nate Diaz’s friend and training partner Chris Avila is also one of the names dashed from the UFC’s roster, after having lost his Octagon debut against Artem Lobov at UFC 202.
The remaining fighters who were cut this week are:
Li Jingliang
Yusuke Kayusa
Felipe Olivieri
Jason Novelli
J.C. Cottrell
Nicholas Dalby
Eric Montano
Dong-yi Yang
Thatch had entered the UFC with a 9-1 record back in 2013 before picking up two quick victories in th Octagon. The Coloradan fell in his last four fights, losing to Benson Henderson, Gunner Nelson, Siyar Bahadurzara, and most recently Niko Price at UFC 207.
Jingliang remains a top prospect out of China, and had picked up a respectable 4-2 record inside the Octagon before having his name removed from the UFC’s online roster.
However, Jingliang is coming off of a second round knockout victory over Bobby Nash in January, meaning his contract could have been up and he just hasn’t signed a new one with the UFC yet.
With the UFC trimming it’s roster in recent months, this appears to be the latest purge of fighters who will now have to work their way back into the UFC.
Elevation Fight Team head coach Leister Bowling will be making his exit from mixed martial arts (MMA) coaching at the conclusion of UFC 207 tomorrow night (Dec. 30). He broke the news to MMAFighting.com. B…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeStR_RZFWI
Elevation Fight Team head coach Leister Bowling will be making his exit from mixed martial arts (MMA) coaching at the conclusion of UFC 207 tomorrow night (Dec. 30). He broke the news to MMAFighting.com. Bowling helped start Elevation Fight Team in 2013, but had been coaching for a decade.
Members of Elevation Fight Team T.J. Dillashaw, Neil Magny, and Brandon Thatch will be competing on the final card of the year. Bowling will corner all of them.
Here is part of his statement:
“I am not one to ever leave anything unfinished, which makes this very hard for me because I feel like Elevation Fight Team still has so much to accomplish. That being said, it is time for me to take some time away from the sport I have grown to love so much. I have five-year-old and 10-year-old sons and a wife at home that I feel need me around more. I know our team is in good hands with the amazing coaching staff we have amassed. I will continue to help coach and be involved in MMA in one way or another for the rest of my life, but for the immediate time being, I am taking a step back from coaching/running the team, traveling and cornering fighters. I need my kids to know that coaching them and being at home with my family more is more important than coaching anyone else.”
The vision of Elevation Fight Team is clear. The camp prides itself on having a top notch private facility in Colorado to enable their fighters to perform at their highest level. A partnership with MusclePharm allows the fighters access to supplements, a theater room to study opponents, and a recovery room.
While Bowling may have left the team with “unfinished” business, he can rest easy knowing that the facility is in good hands.
Unbeaten Niko Price will put his 8-0 mark on the line this month at UFC 207 when he takes on Brandon Thatch.
Price is replacing Sabah Homasi (11-6), who bowed out of what would have bee…
Unbeaten Niko Price will put his 8-0 mark on the line this month at UFC 207 when he takes on Brandon Thatch.
Price is replacing Sabah Homasi (11-6), who bowed out of what would have been his second UFC fight recently with an injury.
Prior to signing with the UFC, Price scored wins under the Fight Time Promotions banner in Florida in all eight of his fights. That includes six first round finishes and seven overall.
Thatch (11-4) sports a 2-3 Octagon mark, earning wins in his first two fights before three straight losses at the hands of Benson Henderson, Gunnar Nelson and Siyar Bahadurzada.
UFC 207 takes place December 30 from Las Vegas with both bantamweight belts on the line. Amanda Nunes defends vs. Ronda Rousey and Dominick Cruz does the same vs. Cody Garbrandt.
UFC 189 was a glorious night of MMA. Attendance records, gate receipts and noses were shattered. Old favourites reclaimed their relevance while new prospects proved their hype. Flying knee knockouts seemed commonplace. Dana White’s never ending use of hyperbole actually rang true. To paraphrase Frank Mir, it was the greatest UFC card since UFC 100.
Now that the glow has faded and we’ve all had some time to decompress, let’s look forward to what might be next for the main card competitors.
UFC 189 was a glorious night of MMA. Attendance records, gate receipts and noses were shattered. Old favourites reclaimed their relevance while new prospects proved their hype. Flying knee knockouts seemed commonplace. Dana White’s never ending use of hyperbole actually rang true. To paraphrase Frank Mir, it was the greatest UFC card since UFC 100.
Now that the glow has faded and we’ve all had some time to decompress, let’s look forward to what might be next for the main card competitors.
It almost feels likes the UFC panicked and made McGregor the next coach of The Ultimate Fighter the moment Frankie Edgar ran to the cage and challenged Conor for the belt. This way McGregor is kept busy, the Aldo mega-fight can be rebooked in the fall, and Frankie can’t exploit the fact that Conor has the takedown defense of a domino. Jose vs. Conor is the fight we all want to see, now more than ever, and there’s no way the UFC books anything else for their golden boy.
‘Money’ Mendes got a raw deal this weekend (well, other than the $500,000+ payday). He obviously has the skills to defeat McGregor, but with only two weeks to prepare, he tired quickly and made a couple mistakes that cost him dearly. If he ever hopes to fight for gold again he’s going to need to take the Jon Fitch route and build a lengthy win streak. Dennis Siver is still a ranked featherweight and a fight with the German seems like a good way for Chad to regroup.
Hi kids, do you like violence? Robbie Lawler is perhaps the only true embodiment of the overused phrase ‘warrior spirit’. His demonstration of sublime technical skill and raw, guttural aggression at UFC 189 was absolutely breathtaking. The pecking order at 170 is now starting to come into place and Robbie’s standing at the top is looking more and more sturdy. Lawler deserves some time off to heal after his Fight of the Year performance, therefore any combination of Condit-Hendricks-Woodley in a number one contender match makes sense to find his next challenger.
It’s astonishing to think that if Rory could have held on for another four minutes, he would have won the belt, considering this gif and this photo. While Macdonald didn’t assume his place as the heir apparent to GSP, he certainly proved his toughness and heart. He’ll be on the shelf for some time but so will fellow rhinoplasty patient Thiago Alves. This matchup would result in an exciting striking affair and the winner could add another ranked opponent to their resume.
If Dennis Bermudez is to be believed, he was offered an immediate rematch with Stephens by Dana White. Considering Jeremy missed weight badly and Bermudez was likely winning the fight before the late knockout, a rematch makes a lot of sense. If not, Hacran Dias or Tatsuya Kawajiri would both make for fun top 15 matchups.
Dennis Bermudez should fight: Jeremy Stephens
Dennis looked absolutely fantastic in his bout with Stephens and seemed to have turned a corner in his progression as a top ten featherweight. Then the next thing you know, ‘tiger!’ and he’s asleep on the canvas. I hope the UFC gives him the mulligan they offered and Bermudez can try and snatch back the win he was so close to nabbing this weekend.
‘Gunni’ looked incredible in his fight against Brandon Thatch and appears to have learned a lot from his first career loss. Pairing him with another heralded striker will allow us to see whether he truly has improved his hands to elite level or if the Thatch knockdown was just a lucky punch. Stephen Thompson fits the description and with his recent destruction of Jake Ellenberger this bout could easily headline a Fight Pass show.
In a battle of prospects usually somebody comes out looking like a dud. The hype train was at full speed when Thatch took on Benson Henderson in February and even in defeat many were still impressed by his showing against the former champ. Now we all need to take a step back, Thatch included, and temper our expectations. The loser of the upcoming Patrick Cote vs. Josh Burkman fight would make a great next opponent as they both have name value, solid veteran skills and savvy, but both represent a return to the mid-tier were Brandon has likely been relegated.
Despite an extremely rocky first round, Almeida managed to hold on to the title of ‘next big thing at bantamweight’ with an insane flying knee knockout of Brad Pickett. After such a dicey showing against veteran competition it might be better to pump the brakes with Almeida rather than feed him to the top 5. Johnny Eduardo will be returning from injury shortly and would make for a great battle of top-ranked heavy-handed Brazilians.
The move back to bantamweight was looking like a wise decision for Pickett until he took that knee to the face. Now 1-4 in his last five, the long-time British standout is looking to be in a downward spiral. Bruce Leroy has not found much success in the Octagon lately either. A loser leaves town (or at least relevancy) tilt between these two could round out any card in need of a fun action fight.
The card for UFC 189 is already stacked with star power, but the event added a little more firepower with the recent addition of what is guaranteed to be a shootout in the welterweight ranks.
As announced on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight, the prom…
The card for UFC 189 is already stacked with star power, but the event added a little more firepower with the recent addition of what is guaranteed to be a shootout in the welterweight ranks.
As announced on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight, the promotion’s July 11 event has added a bout between 170-pound knockout artists Brandon Thatch and John Howard. The card is already figured to be one of the biggest of the year, with two title fights atop the billing as Jose Aldo will defend his featherweight strap against ConorMcGregor, and welterweight champion Robbie Lawler is set to put his title against Rory MacDonald.
UFC 189 will take place at the MGM in Las Vegas and will be a part of the organization’s annual “International Fight Week” celebration.
The bout between Thatch and Howard is a crucial juncture in the careers of both fighters. “Rukus” will look to bounce back from his first loss in six years, when he was submitted by former lightweight champion Benson Henderson at Fight Night 60 back in February. Prior to his setback against “Smooth,” the Colorado native had won 10 consecutive bouts, with two of those victories coming under the UFC banner.
Due in large part to his striking skills, Thatch has generated a solid amount of buzz for his potential to be a major player in the 170-pound ranks, and he’ll need a victory over Howard to put those expectations back on track.
Things look a bit different on Howard’s side of the table going into UFC 189. Where “Doomsday” had previously built enough momentum to earn himself another tour on the UFC roster, the Massachusetts native has hit rough waters as of late. The Boston-based fighter has dropped each of his past three outings inside the Octagon, with his most recent showing ending via stoppage at the hands of Lorenz Larkin at Fight Night 57.
A loss against Thatch could very well cost Howard his spot on the UFC’s welterweight roster, but a victory over the up-and-coming striker would be the ideal scenario to keep his time inside the Octagon rolling.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand, unless noted otherwise.
Last weekend’s Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch was something of a mixed bag. On one hand, it featured a main event that was both thrilling from start to finish and a solid reminder that Ben Henderson is a badass, toothpicking-chewing sumbitch in any weight class. On the other, it featured more than its share of underwhelming, glacially-paced sparring matches that stretched its six fight main card to the brink of watchability. (We’re looking at you, Dan Kelly vs. Patrick Walsh. Your fight was bad and you should feel bad.)
Frontrunners for “Worst Fight of the Year” aside, Fight Night 60 also saw Max Holloway tie Conor McGregor‘s featherweight win streak and Tim Elliott hit a Samoan Drop on Zach Makovsky (en route to a unanimous decision loss). So join us after the jump to check out all the Fight Night 60 highlights that the UFC will allow us to have, and what the hell, we’ll even throw some Bellator 133 highlights in there for ya.
Last weekend’s Fight Night: Henderson vs. Thatch was something of a mixed bag. On one hand, it featured a main event that was both thrilling from start to finish and a solid reminder that Ben Henderson is a badass, toothpicking-chewing sumbitch in any weight class. On the other, it featured more than its share of underwhelming, glacially-paced sparring matches that stretched its six fight main card to the brink of watchability. (We’re looking at you, Dan Kelly vs. Patrick Walsh. Your fight was bad and you should feel bad.)
Frontrunners for “Worst Fight of the Year” aside, Fight Night 60 also saw Max Holloway tie Conor McGregor‘s featherweight win streak and Tim Elliott hit a Samoan Drop on Zach Makovsky (en route to a unanimous decision loss). So join us after the jump to check out all the Fight Night 60 highlights that the UFC will allow us to have, and what the hell, we’ll even throw some Bellator 133 highlights in there for ya.
Holloway vs. Miller
Makovsky vs. Elliot
On the Bellator side of things, Melvin Manhoef once again made the case for him to just stop already by eating a spinning elbow from the king of spinning shit, Alexander Shlemenko, in the second round of their main event scrap. This was the third time in 7 months that Melvin has tasted such a violent defeat, and while we would normally hop on our soapbox and beg for Manhoef to retire about now, we’re going to refrain from doing so. MMA has taught us nothing if not that our opinions are useless, so we say fight on, Melvin! Pay no mind to those increasingly noticeable tremors, memory loss, and inability to pronounce words. That’s just weakness leaving the body! HYEAHH!!!
The card for