Five Under The Radar Storylines From UFC 203

UFC 203 pops off from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH, this Saturday (September 10, 2016). The two primary narratives that have the masses buzzing are the main event and the debut of a certain sports entertainment superstar. The headliner of the UFC’s first event in Cleveland is a good one. Ohio native Stipe

The post Five Under The Radar Storylines From UFC 203 appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC 203 pops off from the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, OH, this Saturday (September 10, 2016). The two primary narratives that have the masses buzzing are the main event and the debut of a certain sports entertainment superstar.

The headliner of the UFC’s first event in Cleveland is a good one. Ohio native Stipe Miocic will make the first defense of his newly-minted heavyweight strap. Miocic got his hands on the belt by viciously ripping it from the grasp of Fabricio Werdum, who happens to be serving in the co-main event this weekend. With a single right hand, Miocic felled the recklessly onrushing Brazilian, simultaneously stamping himself into the history books.

He will be doing battle with hulking Dutch knockout machine Alistair Overeem. “The Reem” rides a four-fight winning streak into his first UFC title fight. He will be looking to add the premiere piece to a trophy case that already includes Strikeforce, Dream, and K-1 heavyweight gold.

Also on the main card is the much-talked about and much-maligned MMA debut of former pro wrestler Phil “CM Punk” Brooks. He will lock horns with 2-0 Mickey Gall, found on Dana White’s “Lookin’ for a Fight” series. Despite being just two fights into his pro career, Gall is veritable veteran next to Punk, who boasts no amatuer fighting or combat sports background of any kind.

These two storylines have driven most of the conversation relating to the UFC’s latest offering on pay-per-view (PPV), but there are other compelling narratives worthy of your attention. Here are five of them.

The post Five Under The Radar Storylines From UFC 203 appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC 186 Highlights/Results: Johnson Subs Horiguchi at the Bell, Rampage Underwhelms in Return, + More

(All clips via UFC on FOX.)

Not that you care right now, what with Jon Jones’ hit-and-run currently capturing your attention, but there was a UFC event over the weekend that on paper looked pretty crappy but in reality turned out to be pretty fun affair (and not just because I went 10-2 on my fight picks for the second time in the past three events).

UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi, it was called, and true to form, it was a card absolutely ravaged by injuries. Dillashaw, Barao, Rory Mac, Lombard, Trujillo — all were expected to fight on Saturday, but the MMA Gods had other plans. Instead, we were treated to the (underwhelming) return of Rampage Jackson thanks to a last-minute appeal of the injunction that originally forced him off the card, the arrival of Thomas Almeida, and the continued dominance of Mighty Mouse.

In the main event of the evening, Demetrious Johnson had his way with #7 ranked (and +1000 underdog) Kyoji Horiguchi for five straight rounds. It was very much a typical Johnson performance in many regards, in that it was damn near flawless, capped off by a late submission (the latest ever, actually), and all but ignored by the fans in the Belle Center. Little guys just don’t get no respect, nawmsayin?

Check out the highlights from the entire UFC 186 main card and a full list of results after the jump. 

The post UFC 186 Highlights/Results: Johnson Subs Horiguchi at the Bell, Rampage Underwhelms in Return, + More appeared first on Cagepotato.


(All clips via UFC on FOX.)

Not that you care right now, what with Jon Jones’ hit-and-run currently capturing your attention, but there was a UFC event over the weekend that on paper looked pretty crappy but in reality turned out to be pretty fun affair (and not just because I went 10-2 on my fight picks for the second time in the past three events).

UFC 186: Johnson vs. Horiguchi, it was called, and true to form, it was a card absolutely ravaged by injuries. Dillashaw, Barao, Rory Mac, Lombard, Trujillo — all were expected to fight on Saturday, but the MMA Gods had other plans. Instead, we were treated to the (underwhelming) return of Rampage Jackson thanks to a last-minute appeal of the injunction that originally forced him off the card, the arrival of Thomas Almeida, and the continued dominance of Mighty Mouse.

In the main event of the evening, Demetrious Johnson had his way with #7 ranked (and +1000 underdog) Kyoji Horiguchi for five straight rounds. It was very much a typical Johnson performance in many regards, in that it was damn near flawless, capped off by a late submission (the latest ever, actually), and all but ignored by the fans in the Belle Center. Little guys just don’t get no respect, nawmsayin?

Check out the highlights from the entire UFC 186 main card and a full list of results after the jump. 

Jackson vs. Maldonado

In the co-main event of the evening, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson took on Fabio Maldonado in what was an equally parts surprising and routine scrap. I say surprising because it may have been the first fight in Jackson’s history that was highlighted by the former champions use of kicks and knees from the Thai clinch. Say what you want about Jackson, but his performance showcased that even an old dog can learn some new tricks.

Of course, the latter rounds were punctuated by Jackson’s trademark lack of killer instinct, as well as Maldonado’s lack of anything resembling urgency, which left the crowd restless heading into the main event. Why Maldonado did not once attempt to mix things up on the feet beyond plodding forward remains a mystery. Kind of like the current whereabouts of Jon Jones. HI-OH!!

Bisping vs. Dollaway

Speaking of raised expectations, the middleweight “meh”fest between Michael Bisping and CB Dollaway turned out to be one of the more thrilling fights of the night. Who woulda thunk? Those expecting a typical jab-and-jog performance from “The Count” (ie. most of us) were instead treated to a back-and-forth banger that saw Bisping dropped early before rallying in the latter rounds thanks to his world-renowned cardio. Dollaway was able to land with his check left hook seemingly at will, but simply couldn’t keep up with Bisping nor take him down long enough to secure the judge’s nod.

I’ll tell you a guy who knows a lot about raised expectations, and that’s Jon Jones. His last DUI-induced car wreck left fans and critics alike wondering how he could ever outshine himself behind the wheel of a two-ton death machine, so what’s he do? Hits *two* cars and while high as a kite, then flees the scene carrying handfuls of cash. Ever the innovator, that Bones.

Makdessi vs. Campbell

Shane Campbell may have been the more seasoned striker heading into his short notice fight with Makdessi on Saturday, but it was the Canadian “Bull” who put a beating on him early and often. After blistering Campbell with a right hand early, Makdessi chose his spots and continued to haul off on the UFC rookie until referee Philippe Chatrier was forced to wave the fight off with just 7 seconds left in the first round. The win marked Makdessi fourth in his past five fights and proved that he’s still got a ton of gas in the tank and is never to be taken lightly — come to think of it, he’s essentially the “Jon Jones behind the wheel” of the UFC’s lightweight division.

Jabouin vs. Almeida

WEC vet Yves Jabouin wasn’t being given much of a chance against the undefeated prospect, and to his credit, managed not to get overwhelmed right out of the gate. Almeida’s relentless pressure and diverse striking attack proved to be too much in time, however, resulting in a clean and decisive first round TKO that this absolutely horrible highlight managed to capture none of.

Check out the full results for UFC 186 below.

Main Card 
Demetrious Johnson def. Kyoji Horiguchi by way of Submission (Armbar) 4:59 of Round 5
Quinton Jackson def. Fabio Maldonado by way of Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Michael Bisping def. CB Dollaway by way of Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
John Makdessi def. Shane Campbell by way of TKO (Strikes) 4:53 of Round 1
Thomas Almeida def. Yves Jabouin by way of TKO (Strikes) 4:18 of Round 1

Preliminary Card
Patrick Cote def. Joe Riggs by way of Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Alexis Davis def. Sarah Kaufman by way of Submission (Armbar) 1:52 of Round 2
Chad Laprise def. Bryan Barberena by way of Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. David Michaud by way of Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 3:24 of Round 3

Preliminary Card 
Nordine Taleb def. Chris Clements by way of Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Valerie Letourneau def. Jessica Rakoczy by way of Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Randa Markos def. Aisling Daly by way of Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post UFC 186 Highlights/Results: Johnson Subs Horiguchi at the Bell, Rampage Underwhelms in Return, + More appeared first on Cagepotato.

Dillashaw vs. Barao 2, Rampage vs. Maldonado, Bisping vs. Dollaway Confirmed for UFC 186


(Former UFC light-heavyweight champion. Undefeated in Bellator. High-score on the Pop-a-Shot. / Photo via Getty)

It’s official: UFC 186 (April 25th, Montreal) will be headlined by a rematch between bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and ex-champ Renan Barao, and will also feature the UFC return of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against “The Iron Hillbilly” (actual nickname!) Fabio Maldonado. Both matchups were previously rumored last week, but UFC president Dana White confirmed them yesterday during an appearance on TSN’s SportsCenter.

But that’s not all, folks. White confirmed five more matchups for the card, which are as follows…

Rory MacDonald vs. Hector Lombard: Yeah, we already knew about this one. The winner gets the next welterweight title shot. Or maybe the Hendricks/Brown winner gets it. Or maybe Kelvin Gastelum gets it? Cripes, who knows.

Michael Bisping vs. CB Dollaway: Bisping is coming off his guillotine-choke loss to Luke Rockhold at that nutso Sydney card, while Dollaway was recently blown up by Lyoto Machida. Fun fact: Bisping hasn’t won two fights in a row since 2011.


(Former UFC light-heavyweight champion. Undefeated in Bellator. High-score on the Pop-a-Shot. / Photo via Getty)

It’s official: UFC 186 (April 25th, Montreal) will be headlined by a rematch between bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and ex-champ Renan Barao, and will also feature the UFC return of Quinton “Rampage” Jackson against “The Iron Hillbilly” (actual nickname!) Fabio Maldonado. Both matchups were previously rumored last week, but UFC president Dana White confirmed them yesterday during an appearance on TSN’s SportsCenter.

But that’s not all, folks. White confirmed five more matchups for the card, which are as follows…

Rory MacDonald vs. Hector Lombard: Yeah, we already knew about this one. The winner gets the next welterweight title shot. Or maybe the Hendricks/Brown winner gets it. Or maybe Kelvin Gastelum gets it? Cripes, who knows.

Michael Bisping vs. CB Dollaway: Bisping is coming off his guillotine-choke loss to Luke Rockhold at that nutso Sydney card, while Dollaway was recently blown up by Lyoto Machida. Fun fact: Bisping hasn’t won two fights in a row since 2011.

Patrick Cote vs. Joe Riggs: Cote hasn’t competed since a unanimous decision loss to Stephen Thompson snapped his three-fight win streak back in September. Riggs will try to rebound from his unsuccessful UFC return at UFC on FOX 13 in December, when his neck immediately gave out on him during a fight against Ben Saunders.

Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. David Michaud: This is not an MMA fight, but the finals of Top Chef Montreal. Can Aubin-Mercier’s innovative molecular gastronomy defeat the impeccable French traditionalism of Michaud? (Ed. note: Okay fine, this is a lightweight fight between two guys without Wikipedia pages. Both are 1-1 in the UFC. Thanks, Sherdog.)

Jessica Rakoczy vs. Valerie Letourneau: Rakoczy was TKO’d by Julianna Pena at the TUF 18 Finale in November, and currently holds the worst professional record of any UFC fighter (1-4 with one no-contest). Letourneau was choked out by Roxanne Modafferi during her elimination fight to get into the TUF 18 house, but was given a UFC contract anyway and won a tough split-decision against Elizabeth Phillips last June.

Watch Lyoto Machida Ryan Bader C.B. Dollaway in Just 61 Seconds (And More UFC Fight Night 58 Highlights)

Sick of watching the same NOS and Metro PCS commercials 4,000 times just to watch one or two good fights on a Fox Sports 1 card?

Well, CagePotato has you covered with a recap and highlights of the two fights that mattered most at UFC Fight Night 58: Lyoto Machida vs. C.B. Dollaway and Renan Barao vs. Mitch Gagnon.

Machida ran through Dollaway like Grant took Richmond. Seriously, the fight was reminiscent of Machida’s 2012 performance against Ryan Bader but even more devastating and one-sided. After being hit with a body kick from Machida, Dollaway recoiled back to the cage and turtled. Machida followed up with vicious strikes. Dollaway crumpled to the mat. The fight was over before it started.

See Renan Barao choke out Mitch Gagnon after the jump.

Sick of watching the same NOS and Metro PCS commercials 4,000 times just to watch one or two good fights on a Fox Sports 1 card?

Well, CagePotato has you covered with a recap and highlights of the two fights that mattered most at UFC Fight Night 58: Lyoto Machida vs. C.B. Dollaway and Renan Barao vs. Mitch Gagnon.

Machida ran through Dollaway like Grant took Richmond. Seriously, the fight was reminiscent of Machida’s 2012 performance against Ryan Bader but even more devastating and one-sided. After being hit with a body kick from Machida, Dollaway recoiled back to the cage and turtled. Machida followed up with vicious strikes. Dollaway crumpled to the mat. The fight was over before it started.

Mitch Gagnon fought more competitively against Renan Barao despite losing. Barao seemed sluggish in the first round and a half, not steamrolling over Gagnon like many (including us) expected. However, Barao’s fighting acumen snowballed as the contest dragged on, culminating in a third-round submission victory via arm-triangle choke. A good win, but Barao will need to show up about 20x better if he’s going to avenge his loss to bantamweight champ TJ Dillashaw.

Oh, and by the way, the UFC announced they resigned Quinton “Rampage” Jackson during the fight card. We’re not kidding, though we wish we were. Read more here.

The fight card’s complete results are below:

Main Card

Lyoto Machida def. C.B. Dollaway via TKO (kick and punches) (1st, 1:02).
Renan Barao def. Mitch Gagnon via submission (arm triangle) (3rd, 3:53).
Patrick Cummins def. Antonio Carlos Junior via unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
Rashid Magomedov def. Elias Silverio via TKO (punches) (3rd, 4:57).
Erick Silva def. Mike Rhodes via submission (arm triangle) (1st, 1:15).
Daniel Sarafian def. Antonio dos Santos Jr. via TKO (finger injury) (2nd, 1:01).

Preliminary Card

Marcos Rogerio de Lima def. Igor Pokrajac via TKO (punches) (1st, 1:59).
Renato Carneiro def. Tom Niinimaki via submission (rear-naked choke) (2nd, 3:30).
Hacran Dias def. Darren Elkins via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Leandro Issa def. Yuta Sasaki via submission (neck crank) (2nd, 4:13).
Tim Means def. Marcio Alexandre via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Vitor Miranda def. Jake Collier via knockout (head kick and punches), (1st, 4:55)

UFC Fight Night 58: Machida vs. Dollaway — Liveblogging the Fights We Care About

UFC Fight Night 58 is the last UFC event of year, but it’s not exactly a “YEAR-END EVENT!” worth getting excited about. It’s more like that last bit of food of your plate after a long, arduous dinner, and you have no real interest in cramming it down your throat — in fact, the very thought of doing that makes you want to barf — but come on, you’re not really going to leave one bite on your plate, are you? Who does that? It’s just one bite! Eat it!

Anyway, tonight’s card comes to us live from the Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and features Lyoto Machida vs. CB Dollaway, Renan Barao vs. Mitch Gagnon, Shoe Face vs. Brawlin’ Barista, and Erick Silva vs. Uncredited Non-Wiki Victim #3. We’ll be plugging in all the UFC Fight Night 58 results after the jump, and we might even liveblog the fights we’ve mentioned above, if we feel like it. Follow us after the jump, refresh the page periodically for the latest updates, and follow us on twitter for even more commentary.

UFC Fight Night 58 is the last UFC event of year, but it’s not exactly a “YEAR-END EVENT!” worth getting excited about. It’s more like that last bit of food of your plate after a long, arduous dinner, and you have no real interest in cramming it down your throat — in fact, the very thought of doing that makes you want to barf — but come on, you’re not really going to leave one bite on your plate, are you? Who does that? It’s just one bite! Eat it!

Anyway, tonight’s card comes to us live from the Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and features Lyoto Machida vs. CB Dollaway, Renan Barao vs. Mitch Gagnon, Shoe Face vs. Brawlin’ Barista, and Erick Silva vs. Uncredited Non-Wiki Victim #3. We’ll be plugging in all the UFC Fight Night 58 results after the jump, and we might even liveblog the fights we’ve mentioned above, if we feel like it. Follow us after the jump, refresh the page periodically for the latest updates, and follow us on twitter for even more commentary.

MAIN CARD RESULTS (FOX SPORTS 1, 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT)
– Lyoto Machida vs. C.B. Dollaway
– Renan Barao vs. Mitch Gagnon
– Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Patrick Cummins
– Rashid Magomedov vs. Elias Silverio
– Erick Silva vs. Mike Rhodes
– Antonio dos Santos Jr. vs. Daniel Sarafian

PRELIM RESULTS
– Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Igor Pokrajac
– Renato Carneiro vs. Tom Niinimaki
– Hacran Dias vs. Darren Elkins
– Leandro Issa vs. Yuta Sasaki
– Tim Means vs. Marcio Alexandre Jr.
– Vitor Miranda def. Jake Collier via KO (head kick & punches), 4:59 of round 1

UFC Fight Night 58 Weigh-In Results and Video

UFC Fight Night 58 weigh-in results are below via MMAFighting. Durkin came in at 206.8 pounds on his first attempt, but later hit 206 even. Come back to CagePotato.com tomorrow night for live results, unless you have better things to do, and if that’s the case we totally understand.

FOX Sports 1 Main Card (10 p.m. ET)
Lyoto Machida (185) vs. CB Dollaway (186)
Renan Barao (136) vs. Mitch Gagnon (136)
Antonio Carlos Junior (205) vs. Patrick Cummins (206)
Elias Silverio (155) vs. Rashid Magomedov (155)
Erick Silva (171) vs. Mike Rhodes (171)
Daniel Sarafian (186) vs. Antonio dos Santos Jr. (186)

FOX Sports 1 Prelims (8 p.m. ET)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima (205) vs. Igor Pokrajac (206)
Tom Niinimaki (146) vs. Renato Carneiro (146)
Darren Elkins (145) vs. Hacran Dias (146)
Leandro Issa (136) vs. Yuta Sasaki (135)

UFC Fight Pass Prelims (at 7 p.m. ET)
Marcio Alexandre (171) vs. Tim Means (171)
Vitor Miranda (185) vs. Jake Collier (185)

UFC Fight Night 58 weigh-in results are below via MMAFighting. Durkin came in at 206.8 pounds on his first attempt, but later hit 206 even. Come back to CagePotato.com tomorrow night for live results, unless you have better things to do, and if that’s the case we totally understand.

FOX Sports 1 Main Card (10 p.m. ET)
Lyoto Machida (185) vs. CB Dollaway (186)
Renan Barao (136) vs. Mitch Gagnon (136)
Antonio Carlos Junior (205) vs. Patrick Cummins (206)
Elias Silverio (155) vs. Rashid Magomedov (155)
Erick Silva (171) vs. Mike Rhodes (171)
Daniel Sarafian (186) vs. Antonio dos Santos Jr. (186)

FOX Sports 1 Prelims (8 p.m. ET)
Marcos Rogerio de Lima (205) vs. Igor Pokrajac (206)
Tom Niinimaki (146) vs. Renato Carneiro (146)
Darren Elkins (145) vs. Hacran Dias (146)
Leandro Issa (136) vs. Yuta Sasaki (135)

UFC Fight Pass Prelims (at 7 p.m. ET)
Marcio Alexandre (171) vs. Tim Means (171)
Vitor Miranda (185) vs. Jake Collier (185)