Caged In | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

3 Questions: UFC’s Debut in Sweden, Gustafsson’s Toughest Fight Yet

Will the UFC’s debut in Sweden be a successful one?The stars are aligned for the UFC to have a successful show for their debut in the Swedish market. Tickets to the event—held at the 16,000 seat Ericsson Globe Arena and one of the coolest-looking…

Will the UFC’s debut in Sweden be a successful one?

The stars are aligned for the UFC to have a successful show for their debut in the Swedish market. Tickets to the event—held at the 16,000 seat Ericsson Globe Arena and one of the coolest-looking buildings I’ve ever seen—sold out quickly. The market is primed for top-level MMA, and the UFC has placed their best Swedish fighter in the main event.

The truth is, the UFC is almost always a success the first time they hit a market. It’s usually not until the third or fourth time in a city that you begin to see diminishing returns.

So yes, this will be a highly-successful event. A small portion of Swedish fans will likely complain that it’s not a pay-per-view event, but let’s be honest here: this is an incredible card for a Fuel TV broadcast. Fuel fight cards are the fourth tier of UFC television broadcasts—behind pay per view, FOX and FX—and yet you’re getting a card featuring fights that could easily find a home on UFC PPV events.

You’re telling me Brian Stann vs. Alessio Sakara or Paulo Thiago vs. Siyar Bahadurzada aren’t compelling fights? They absolutely are.

I fully expect the UFC’s Swedish debut to be a resoundingly successful one. And it’ll likely be a really fun event to watch on television.

Is Alexander Gustafsson ready for the big time?

Gustafsson is a guy many see as the next great hope in the light heavyweight division. He’s the guy who could eventually take out Jon Jones. He’s got the same rangy limbs and unorthodox fighting style that makes him a handful for opponents.

He’s not on Jones’ level just yet. But there’s no shame in that, because nobody else in the entire world is on Jones’ level yet.

Gustafsson could get there, someday. Thiago Silva is a much bigger test than anyone is giving him credit for, and a much tougher opponent than Antonio Rogerio Nogueira would’ve been. Silva is 14-2, with his only two losses coming to Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans. That’s a pretty good record, and it’s a big win if Gustafsson is able to get past him.

Will the second episode of UFC Primetime: Jones vs. Evans be as compelling as the first?

I love the UFC Primetime series. I know they tend to pale in comparison to HBO’s 24/7 series, but they’re still an excellent product and a compelling watch.

The latest edition, featuring Jon Jones and Rashad Evans as they prepare to face off later this month, has the potential to be the best in the entire series. Primetime works best when the two fighters have an actual grudge, or at least the ability to sell a grudge as being real. There’s no doubt that Jon Jones and Rashad Evans do not like each other, and the history between the pair makes for rich television.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Rashad Evans Believes Greg Jackson Turned His Back on His Original Fighters

We’ve got less than two weeks remaining until Jon Jones and Rashad Evans finally step in the cage at UFC 145 in Atlanta. The pair continue to fire shots at one another, building the hype for what should ultimately be one of the UFC’s biggest bouts of 2…

But it’s no longer an issue strictly between Jones and Evans. As I expected, coaches Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn have been pulled into the mix after hearing Evans blast them on numerous occasions.

Winkeljohn recently told Bleacher Report that he convinced Jackson to corner Jones in the fight after Evans continually threw Jackson under the bus and blamed him for the split that led Evans to leave his longtime fight camp and head to Florida. Winkeljohn says he’s still cool with Evans, but that enough was enough:

But he upset me in that he kept throwing Greg under the bus. Enough’s enough. You have your disagreements, I understand that, but there’s more important things out there and it’s time for Greg to work in Jon’s corner.

Evans told USA Today that he isn’t really mad at Jackson for deciding to corner Jones. After all, it’s what he expected to happen from the beginning:

I’m not surprised. Once Greg said that he was able to stay at his gym, I knew he was going to work with him. I knew he was going to corner him. And that’s fine. I expected him to do that.

That’s just Greg for you. I can’t be mad at somebody for being himself, you know?

Evans also believes Jackson has turned his back on the people that helped turn him into an elite MMA coach:

It’s like — who would Greg Jackson be if it wasn’t for the original fighters who really put Greg Jackson on the map? Nobody would be hearing about him. Nobody would be hearing about this gym that he has in Albuquerque. He would just be a guy who likes fighting and who coaches guys.

But to turn your back and to against the grain on people who made you who you really are — to me, that’s just low.

We’ve heard plenty of talk from Evans, Jones and Jackson at this point. You know who I really want to hear from? Keith Jardine. “The Dean of Mean” was one of Evans’ best friends in the camp. As Evans rightly points out in the USA Today interview, he and Jardine were two of the fighters who helped turn Jackson’s camp into one of the most well-known in the sport.

I’d like to hear what Jardine has to say about the rift between Evans and Jones/Jackson/Winkeljohn. Something tells me we’d get something closer to the whole truth than we’ve gotten thus far.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Mark Hunt Says That Everything Alistair Overeem Has Done Is Meaningless

The #Rally4MarkHunt movement has reached epic proportions. Fans around the world continue to bombard Dana White, Lorenzo Fertitta and others associated with the UFC in the hopes of getting the man with the 8-7 record a world heavyweight title shot.As I…

As I said last Thursday, Hunt isn’t a legitimate title contender. Not yet, anyway. That’s not to say that he won’t eventually get there, because I think he only really needs one more emphatic win to earn proper consideration.

All of the clamor from fans has earned Hunt plenty of attention from media in recent days. He appeared on the MMA Hour yesterday to discuss a recent hot-button issue: the drug test failure of fellow heavyweight Alistair Overeem.

Hunt held nothing back when discussing Overeem:

Drugs in all sports is a big problem. It’s a cutthroat business, people take this shit just to get by. I don’t use that shit, but when Alistair takes that shit or whoever takes it they just screw themselves out. Like when Barnett screwed himself out of the fight with Fedor.

But who am I to judge anybody? I don’t take that shit and no one else should. If they do, that’s on them. Alistair is now in court, and everything that Alistair has done is meaningless now. At the end of the day he just got caught cheating, so what’s the deal? I lost to him, so did he use that shit when I was fighting him? That’s on him. He has to live with that shit. It’s not my position to judge him. He has to look himself in the mirror.

Fighters tend to adopt a neutral stance when discussing sensitive subjects involving other fighters, at least in public. If you get them away from the cameras and the audio recorders, they’ll often tell you exactly how they feel about the fighter who tested positive for steroids.

Or the fighter who currently has three girlfriends that live within two miles of the house he shares with his stay-at-home wife. Or the fighter who has the biggest fight of his career coming up, yet spends more time at the beach with questionable company than he does at the gym.

It’s good to hear Hunt truly speaking his mind. He has nothing to lose. He was never expected to get into the UFC in the first place, and he only earned a fight there because of a contract technicality.

He’s in the midst of one of the greatest comeback stories in the history of the sport, but doesn’t care if he wins or loses or offends anyone else with the things he says.

He wasn’t supposed to be here, after all. And if you’re offended by something he says, well, that’s your problem.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Brock Lesnar Chronicles: Week 2 in the UFC Legend’s Return to the WWE

Were you a big Brock Lesnar fan who’s not quite sure how to feel about his return to pro wrestling? Can’t be in front of the television every Monday night, or unclear how to work a DVR despite it being 2012? Well, I’ve found my purpose in life, bringin…

The Facts:

After recapping Lesnar’s triumphant return to the WWE last week, they waste little time bringing Lesnar out to the ring. He’s there with John Laurinaitis, the new authority figure, which establishes Lesnar as a bad guy. The crowd hasn’t quite caught on, as Lesnar is met with more cheers than boos. Lesnar has one goal—bringing legitimacy back to the WWE.

Laurinaitis announces the two will meet at Extreme Rules on PPV in three weeks. Then…wait for it…that’s John Cena‘s music! The former champion interrupts Lesnar, who once again forgot the sleeves on his MMA style t-shirt. Positively Belichickian.

Cena slaps Lesnar in the face and Lesnar responds, sensibly, with a takedown and some ground-and-pound. The first punch was a solid one. Potato alert! Later the announcers hint that Cena actually lost some teeth in the exchange.

An absolutely comical number of superstars run into ring to separate them and even more comically, can’t. It’s an ode to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mike Tyson in the lead-up to WrestleMania 14. The two go back and forth playing “hold me back” and Cena ends up with a split lip. Someone may need to remind Lesnar that wrestling is worked.

Lesnar is finally dragged out the ring, while Cena smiles maniacally. Things are finally simmering down as we cut to a commercial break. (Lesnar Segment 1)

Lesnar later comes back out for an interview with Josh Matthews. Lesnar tries to give himself a new nickname, “The War Machine,” and tells Matthews that Cena couldn’t hold his jock strap, as he proved it in the ring. (Lesnar Segment 2)

The show ends with Lesnar, once again, getting the best of Cena. He sneaks up behind Cena after the WWE’s biggest star won a squash, kicking him right in the nuts and F-5ing him. The show goes off the air with Cena lying helpless in the ring, (Lesnar Segment 3)

My Not So Humble Opinion:

The segment played to Lesnar’s strengths. He didn’t have to talk much and got to takedown and punch someone in the face. He’s probably loving this return. In two weeks, Lesnar hasn’t taken a single bump and has dominated Cena.

(Segment 1)

Lesnar’s first promo since returning to the WWE went fairly well. Lesnar lets us know he’s proud to be back in wrestling, just like he’s proud of everything he does. It didn’t blow anyone away, but it was perfectly respectable. It will get better as he gets back in the swing of things. (Segment 2)

Has John Cena never watched wrestling before? Everyone in the building knew Lesnar would hit the ring. Everyone, except apparently, John Cena. They are really doing a good job building Lesnar back into a star. (Segment 3)

Brock Talk:

First and foremost I’d like to thank you, Mr. Laurinaitis, for bringing credibility back to the WWE.” (Segment 1)

“A guy like John Cena? He thinks he’s at the top. But he couldn’t hold my jock strap in a million years.” (Segment 2)

Classic Lesnar Moment of the Week:

Lesnar apologizes after talking trash to Frank Mir after their UFC 100 rematch.

What’s next for Lesnar? Will Cena get his revenge? Will Lauriniatis serve as his mouthpiece going forward, or was that a one-time thing? And will Lesnar debut a t-shirt with sleeves? Stay tuned to this space for the latest in all things Brock Lesnar.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Cris Cyborg’s Suspension Upheld by the CSAC, and Rightly So

The drama surrounding the use of illicit substances in mixed martial arts is building to a fever pitch.In the past few months, we’ve seen Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Nick Diaz and Alistair Overeem potentially lose championship fights—all real, main…

The drama surrounding the use of illicit substances in mixed martial arts is building to a fever pitch.

In the past few months, we’ve seen Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, Nick Diaz and Alistair Overeem potentially lose championship fights—all real, main-event-headlining matches that fans are interested in—due to failed drug screenings.

It’s quickly becoming an epidemic without a cure and without any real end in sight, at least under current state commission rules.

Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino—formerly known as Cyborg Santos—failed her test for performance-enhancing drugs before any of the three names I mentioned above, testing positive for stanozolol metabolites after laying a horrific beating on Hiroko Yamanaka at the Dec. 17 “Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal” event.

Much like Overeem, the Justino failure seemingly confirmed what many fans suspected: that no woman could achieve the kind of physical makeup or brute power that Cyborg possessed without some kind of artificial help.

Justino went before the California State Athletic Commission on Monday afternoon to plead her case. Unlike so many other drug failures we’ve seen in the past, Justino didn’t try to convince the commission that she used tainted supplements.

She confessed in full to taking the drugs and took responsibility for her actions, ultimately asking the commission to reduce her one-year sentence to a more manageable six months.

“I made a mistake,” she said. “I do not condone the use of performance-enhancing drugs in MMA.”

Her approach was admirable, but the result was the same.

The commission voted to uphold the full suspension, meaning she’s out of action until at least December.

“Intentionally or unintentionally, the opponent was put in undue danger at that match,” CSAC commissioner VanBuren Lemons said.

A Strikeforce representative confirmed after the hearing that Justino had been stripped of her Strikeforce title.

I’m glad Justino admitted her wrongdoing.

But whether or not you believe that steroids should be legal in sports—and that’s a debate for another day—the fact remains that Justino broke clearly-defined rules by taking a performance-enhancing drug that is banned for use in athletic competitions by the State of California.

That’s the bottom line.

It doesn’t matter if Justino took the stanozolol because a coach told her it was a weight-loss aid. She’s a grown woman and she’s wholly responsible for what she puts in her body.

It’s her paycheck on the line and her career at risk, and therefore it’s her responsibility to check out whatever substances her coaches might be recommending she try out.

Let’s hope she’s learned from this mistake, because I’d sure love to see her in an eventual fight with Ronda Rousey.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Alistair Overeem and the State of the Heavyweight Division

There was a time when the UFC’s heavyweight division was considered one of the weakest in the promotion. It seemed like every pay per view was headlined by Andrei Arlovski and Tim Sylvia duking it out in a best of 75 series. Those days thankfully …

Those days thankfully long behind us as the UFC has made it a point to improve the extremely shallow division. From the champion all the way down to the fighters making their UFC debut, the level of talent is exponentially greater in today’s UFC.

With UFC 146 just around the corner, let’s take a look at the current state of the heavyweight division and find out who are contenders and who are pretenders.

Begin Slideshow