Tag: Cain Velasquez

MMA Top 10 Pound-for-Pound: Jon Jones Surges

Filed under: UFC, Rankings, OverallThe last time I ranked the Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in MMA, I heard from a lot of readers who thought it was too early to have Jon Jones on the list.

No one is going to say that now.

After Jones smashed “Shog…

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Jon Jones wears the UFC light heavyweight belt at UFC 128.The last time I ranked the Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in MMA, I heard from a lot of readers who thought it was too early to have Jon Jones on the list.

No one is going to say that now.

After Jones smashed “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128, the question isn’t whether Jones is one of the sport’s Top 10 pound-for-pound fighters — everyone agrees that he is. Now the question is just how high Jones belongs on the pound-for-pound list.

I think Jones is doing things we haven’t seen before, and dominating his opponents in ways that few fighters can equal, and so I have Jones among the truly elite on my latest list, which is below.

Getting Best Fighters In Cage Must Be Ultimate Goal After Zuffa-Strikeforce Deal

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceUFC president Dana White continually makes a point of reminding the fans that he works to put together the matches they want to see. He also consistently reminds fighters that if they’re in this sport to be the best, they b…

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UFC president Dana White continually makes a point of reminding the fans that he works to put together the matches they want to see. He also consistently reminds fighters that if they’re in this sport to be the best, they better be ready to fight anyone at any time, including teammates. Yet when White broke the news about UFC parent company Zuffa buying Strikeforce to MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, he produced one curious response that contradicted those two mantras.

When asked by Helwani if, for example, Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem could go to the UFC to fight its heavyweight champion, White said no.

“There won’t be any superfights,” he said. “When I say ‘business as usual,’ we don’t co-promote. Even when we own it, we don’t co-promote, period.”

MMA Top 10 Heavyweights: Fedor’s Fall Continues

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, HeavyweightsFrom 2003 to 2009, Fedor Emelianenko was the No. 1 heavyweight in mixed martial arts. In 2010, he finally fell from the top spot.

In 2011, Fedor is only a marginal member of the Top 10.

On a two-fi…

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Antonio Silva defeats Fedor Emelianenko in the Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix.From 2003 to 2009, Fedor Emelianenko was the No. 1 heavyweight in mixed martial arts. In 2010, he finally fell from the top spot.

In 2011, Fedor is only a marginal member of the Top 10.

On a two-fight losing streak, with neither of those fights even being competitive, Fedor has fallen a long, long way. That’s not surprising: Fedor is, after all, a man in his mid-30s. Athletes in all sports decline in their mid-30s, and MMA is no different. And Fedor trains in seclusion, which means that as the sport grows and other fighters get better, Fedor isn’t improving along with them.

So as we look at the Top 10 heavyweights in mixed martial arts, we’ll see Fedor in a place we’re not accustomed to seeing him.

Holly Madison Goes From Taking Off Clothes to Launching UFC Clothing Line

From UFC Guest Octagon Girl to UFC Clothing Designer?…. It makes sense. Former Playboy Playmate, Holly Madison launched her new UFC clothing line yesterday and it is perfect timing, for as you can see from the picture above, she desperately needed a pair of pants. Madison’s line is sold at a retail outlet inside Mandalay Bay […]

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From UFC Guest Octagon Girl to UFC Clothing Designer?…. It makes sense. Former Playboy Playmate, Holly Madison launched her new UFC clothing line yesterday and it is perfect timing, for as you can see from the picture above, she desperately needed a pair of pants. Madison’s line is sold at a retail outlet inside Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. We’re not exactly sure what the clothing line is called but we are very sure it calls for a celebration…

And we are right! XS Nightclub inside Encore will play host to Madison’s UFC Clothing Line Launch Party tonight with several UFC stars in attendance including: Cain Velasquez, Dominic Cruz, Stephan Bonnar, Forrest Griffin, Brittney Palmer, and Kenda Perez.

So if you like to see fighters, but don’t necessarily want to get punched in the face to see stars, then head out to XS tonight at 10pm (PST) in Las Vegas for the star-studded red carpet.

MMA Top 10 Pound-for-Pound: Silva Back on Top, Jones Gets a Spot

Filed under: UFC, Rankings, Overall
Now that was the Anderson Silva we’ve been wanting to see.

After four straight lackluster defenses of his middleweight title, Silva knocked out Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the chin that has to go down as one …

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Now that was the Anderson Silva we’ve been wanting to see.

After four straight lackluster defenses of his middleweight title, Silva knocked out Vitor Belfort with a front kick to the chin that has to go down as one of the most incredible knockouts we’ve seen in the sport. But part of what makes Silva amazing is that it might not have even been the most incredible knockout of his career: I’m still partial to the stunning elbow he used to knock out Tony Fryklund in 2006.

When you know Silva is capable of such highlight-reel heroics, it’s easy to grow disappointed in him when he delivers sub-par performances, as he did against Patrick Cote, Thales Leites, Demian Maia and Chael Sonnen. But when Silva is on his game, he’s the best in the world, and he’s now back on top of my pound-for-pound rankings.

Strikeforce Heavyweights Descend Upon New York to Lay Claim to No. 1

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsNEW YORK — For some fans, it’s easy to look past Strikeforce. They don’t run as many events as the UFC, they don’t have a bombastic frontman, and they haven’t been around as long. But it was hard to ignore what they were …

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Fabricio WerdumNEW YORK — For some fans, it’s easy to look past Strikeforce. They don’t run as many events as the UFC, they don’t have a bombastic frontman, and they haven’t been around as long. But it was hard to ignore what they were doing on Tuesday afternoon, when eight burly men demanded and received the attention of a city that usually can’t be bothered.

The field of the Strikeforce heavyweight tournament came to town, with a free fan experience at Manhattan’s famed Roseland Ballroom that drew around 2,000 fans. The message was simple: With the brutal tournament format generating a battle of attrition, the promotion and its fighters believe that the man who emerges as the last man standing out of the original eight will be able to make the claim as the world’s best heavyweight.

While the championship is not in play, in some ways, the stakes are higher than any single piece of hardware.

“I love tournaments,” said Alistair Overeem, the man who holds the belt for now. “Tournaments decide who’s No. 1. This tournament will decide who the No. 1 heavyweight in MMA is, no doubt.”