Tag: Chad Mendes

UFC on FOX 9 Results: Johnson Devastates Benavidez via Brutal KO, Faber Dominates and Submits McDonald


(And that’s the end of that chapter. Photo via Getty)

For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.

The notable happenings on the prelims.

Sam Stout out-pointed Cody McKenzie, tenderizing the grappler’s liver and body throughout the 15-minute contest. The bashing of McKenzie’s body wasn’t the most interesting part though. No, the most interesting highlight from the fight was McKenzie wearing sponsor-less shorts with the price tag still hanging off them. Apparently, he showed up without shorts or even a mouthpiece. Pretty sad.

Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?

Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).

Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.

In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.

Get the main card recap after the jump.


(And that’s the end of that chapter. / Photo via Getty)

For an event that was initially much better on paper and seemed certain to disappoint, UFC on FOX 9 came through. The card was entertaining and ended in one of the best knockouts in recent memory.

The notable happenings on the prelims:

Sam Stout out-pointed Cody McKenzie, tenderizing the grappler’s liver and body throughout the 15-minute contest. The bashing of McKenzie’s body wasn’t the most interesting part though. No, the most interesting highlight from the fight was McKenzie wearing sponsor-less shorts with the price tag still hanging off them. Apparently, he showed up without shorts or even a mouthpiece. Pretty sad.

Zach Makovsky defeated Scott Jorgensen via decision. Interestingly enough, Makovsky—a former Bellator champ—didn’t have to prove himself in WSOF to get a shot in the UFC. Funny how things work out like that, isn’t it?

Pat Healy dropped a unanimous decision to Bobby Green. The crowd booed the announcement (or maybe they were saying boo-urns). The decision wasn’t horrible although it was pretty clear Green didn’t win all three rounds (but somehow 2/3 judges thought he did).

Edson Barboza vs. Danny Castillo elevated the card’s energy level. In the first round, Castillo ran over Barboza like a freight train. He floored the Brazilian striker, unleashed vicious ground-and-pound, and nearly choked him out. Somehow, Barboza survived the torrent of offense and even managed to reverse his fortunes in the second round. In that frame, Barboza made use of leg and body kicks to stymie Castillo and nearly finish him. The third round was a little closer and slower-paced. Barboza walked away with a majority decision.

In the last preliminary fight, rising star and late replacement Ryan LaFlare carved up Court McGee‘s face with pinpoint striking. The Long Islander outworked McGee until the third round, where he started to gas a little bit. But LaFlare’s work in the first two rounds was enough to secure a unanimous decision.

The once-much-better main card began with a mismatch (though it was fun to watch). Joe Lauzon brutalized the hopelessly outmatched Mac Danzig for 15 minutes en route to a unanimous decision victory. It was a bloody affair. Lauzon tempered his intensity with caution, not over-pursuing any finishes. Instead, he remained content with control and moderate amounts of damage that snowballed into the end result: Danzig’s face looking like it had gone through a wood chipper.

Chad Mendes and Nik Lentz faced off next. Mendes was his normal studly self early on, but succumbed to the fight’s pace. He won the fight via UD. It wasn’t the prettiest performance though. During a post-fight news blurb on FOX, Ariel Helwani claimed Mendes had a sinus infection (I think that’s the first time we’ve heard that excuse), so maybe that explains it.

The co-main event of the evening pitted Urijah Faber vs. Michael McDonald. The 22-year-old McDonald was out of his depth. Faber took the first round easily enough. In the second, “The California Kid” stunned McDonald and swarmed him. After a few punches against the staggered McDonald, Faber scored a guillotine finish. It was an excellent display of killer instinct. Faber became an animal when he saw McDonald was hurt.

The main event ended in unbelievable fashion. Demetrious Johnson landed a right hook that lawnchair’d Joseph Benavidez in the first round. It’s undoubtedly the most incredible KO in flyweight history and will likely stay that way for quite some time.

TL;DR – UFC on FOX 9 was supposed to be an incredible free card that demanded our attention. It was still fun due to the performances on the main card, but it could’ve been so much more had the plague of injuries never happened.

Complete Results:

Main Card

Demetrious Johnson def. Joseph Benavidez via KO (punch), 2:08 of Round 1
Urijah Faber def. Michael McDonald via submission (guillotine), 3:22 of Round 2
Chad Mendes def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Joe Lauzon def. Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

Ryan LaFlare def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Edson Barboza def. Danny Castillo via majority decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Bobby Green def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Zach Makovsky def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Sam Stout def. Cody McKenzie via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Abel Trujillo def. Roger Bowling via TKO (strikes), 1:35 of Round 2
Alptekin Ozkilic def. Daren Uyenoyama via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

UFC on Fox 9: What We Learned from Chad Mendes vs. Nik Lentz

Chad “Money” Mendes went into the Octagon at UFC on Fox 9, and he took care of business to potentially earn another shot at the UFC Featherweight Championship.
Mendes hurt Lentz in the first round but was unable to finish on Saturday. From …

Chad “Money” Mendes went into the Octagon at UFC on Fox 9, and he took care of business to potentially earn another shot at the UFC Featherweight Championship.

Mendes hurt Lentz in the first round but was unable to finish on Saturday. From that point on, he picked his shots, took what was open and coasted to a unanimous-decision victory.

It wasn’t the most exciting fight on the card from Sacramento, Calif., but Mendes had a lot on the line and no reason to take unnecessary risks.

What did we learn from this featherweight tilt?

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

Mendes slowing down.

Sure, we can focus on the first round. Or we could talk about how he controlled and dominated Lentz. However, we saw a bigger Mendes in this fight who slowed down as the fight went on. In a 25-minute bout against Jose Aldo or Ricardo Lamas, how would that play out?

Mendes has shown better cardio in the past, but he never looked this big before. That may be a concern moving forward toward a title shot. Aldo has also slowed in five-round fights, and he is a big featherweight too. Lamas, on the other hand, seems to have a deep gas tank that could create problems for Mendes.

 

What We Learned About Chad Mendes

We learned that his striking is still evolving.

The KO and TKO performances following the loss to Aldo were a combination of his growth as a striker, big power and lesser competition. Against a gritty fighter like Lentz, he was unable to replicate that success.

He also started to telegraph some of his shots and abandoned combinations.

His lead coach Duane Ludwig will take a look at the film and make adjustments before a title fight, but it is worth noting that Mendes still isn’t a striking phenom.

 

What We Learned About Nik Lentz

We knew Lentz was a tough, gritty fighter, but we learned he has the tools to compete against the elite of the division. That was a big question entering the night.

He still has a lot of work to do to defeat these fighters, but he can hang with them. That is important. Mendes didn’t blow him out of the water.

Lentz isn’t the most athletically gifted fighter, but if he can turn fights ugly, he can pick up key victories in this division.

 

What’s Next for Mendes?

The winner of Aldo vs. Lamas.

Mendes entered as the top-ranked contender, and nothing has changed. The UFC only skipped over him for a title shot because of how he lost to Aldo the first time. After five straight wins, Mendes will get another title fight for certain.

He’ll have to wait to see who is the champion for his next crack at gold.

 

What’s Next for Lentz?

A borderline Top 10 featherweight.

I would love to give a specific name, but many featherweights are already booked. A potential candidate would be Clay Guida. He has not fought since losing to Mendes at UFC 164.

There will be a fighter hovering around the Top 10 who makes sense for Lentz. The best matchup would be someone who primarily strikes. It would force both men to tighten up their weaknesses and show their strengths in the cage.

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UFC on FOX 9: Johnson vs. Benavidez 2 — Live Results & Commentary


(It was then that Demetrious realized his own head was chilly, and the envy built up inside him, poisonous and overwhelming. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

The UFC is setting up shop at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento this evening, and while injuries have hacked this card down to a hobbling shell of its former self, we’ll still happily tune in to watch the Team Alpha Male crew defend its home turf on network television. On the docket for this evening: Joseph Benavidez takes another crack at reigning flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, local legend Urijah Faber takes on 22-year-old bantamweight phenom Michael McDonald, and Chad Mendes looks for his fifth-straight KO/TKO in the featherweight division against Nik Lentz. Plus, Joe Lauzon and Mac Danzig kick off the broadcast in a battle between a guy who collects a lot of bonus money and a guy with no sponsors.

Handling our liveblog for this evening is Aaron Mandel, who will be banging out round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 9 main card after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know how you’re feeling in the comments section.


(It was then that Demetrious realized his own head was chilly, and the envy built up inside him, poisonous and overwhelming. / Photo via MMAJunkie)

The UFC is setting up shop at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento this evening, and while injuries have hacked this card down to a hobbling shell of its former self, we’ll still happily tune in to watch the Team Alpha Male crew defend its home turf on network television. On the docket for this evening: Joseph Benavidez takes another crack at reigning flyweight champ Demetrious Johnson, local legend Urijah Faber takes on 22-year-old bantamweight phenom Michael McDonald, and Chad Mendes looks for his fifth-straight KO/TKO in the featherweight division against Nik Lentz. Plus, Joe Lauzon and Mac Danzig kick off the broadcast in a battle between a guy who collects a lot of bonus money and a guy with no sponsors.

Handling our liveblog for this evening is Aaron Mandel, who will be banging out round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 9 main card after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know how you’re feeling in the comments section.

Preliminary card results
– Ryan LaFlare def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Edson Barboza def. Danny Castillo via majority decision (29-28 x2, 28-28)
– Bobby Green def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Zach Makovsky def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Sam Stout def. Cody McKenzie via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Abel Trujillo def. Roger Bowling via TKO, 1:35 of round 2
– Alptekin Ozkilic def. Darren Uyenoyama via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

Main Card

We’ve got FOX robots, very small men and 3 guys trying to do it on home turf.  Refresh early and often for round-by-round action and leave your comments below.

Joe Lauzon vs. Mac Danzig

Both these lightweights are coming of losses so it’s an important fight for both of their UFC careers.

Round 1- Touch of the gloves to start.  Lauzon throwing a few strikes early.  Lauzon clinches Danzig and drags him to the ground into half guard.  Lauzon working some ground and pound from half guard.  Moves to mount and rains down strikes.  Lauzon rolls for armbar and goes belly down but Danzig escapes and lands on top in Lauzon’s guard.  Butterfly guard from Lauzon working for a sweep, Danzig not doing much.  Lauzon throws his legs up for an armbar that is not there but he switches to omoplata and then triangle, well defended by Danzig and they rise to the feet.  Good knees and elbows from Danzig in the Thai clinch.  Lauzon muscles Danzig down from the clinch and lands in guard.  Round ends with Lauzon on top and probably 10-9 Lauzon.

Round 2- Danzig winning the standup in the early going with punches and kicks.  They clinch and exchange strikes but not much action.  Good body shot and jab from Danzig.  Right hand lands for Danzig.  Danzig works strikes again from the clinch, some knees from Lauzon.  A trip attempt fails for Danzig and Lauzon ends up on top in guard.  Large cut on Danzig with blood getting in the eyes from a Lauzon elbow.  Lauzon working strikes from on top in guard, being patient.  Danzig’s face is entirely covered in blood.  Lauzon moves to half guard and works knees into Danzig’s body.  Danzig recovers butterfly guard and Lauzon postures up and rains down a large strike and falls into side control and then mount.  With ten seconds left he spins for an armbar but Danzig defends.  10-9 Lauzon.

Round 3- Danzig comes out with a flurry of strikes but nothing major lands.  Head collision briefly stops the fight, I did not realize that was a thing.  Danzig initiating clinches more than I’ve ever seen, they separate and throw strikes, Danzig throwing heavier and landing more.  Big elbow and knee from Lauzon and he trips Danzig to the ground.  Lauzon in full guard working ground and pound as he moves to half guard.  Side control for Lauzon with a crucifix on Danzig’s right arm.  Heavy strikes from Lauzon and Danzig is bleeding bad.  Elbows from Lauzon as he mounts.  Huge elbows from mount for Lauzon as he spins for an arm.  He pauses on the arm to rip elbows into Danzig’s body.  Lauzon spins too soon and Danzig ends up on top.  Lauzon turtles, stands and drives Danzig back down.  Lauzon moves to half guard and works knees into side control, some top level top game grappling from Lauzon with big elbows as the fight ends.  10-9 Lauzon and should be his fight.

Joe Lauzon defeats Mac Danzig via unanimous decision, 30-27 x 3

Nik Lentz vs. Chad Mendes

Big cheers for hometowner Mendes, apparently Lentz is huge at 145…

Round 1-  Lentz throws first but Mendes blocks.  Mendes cracks Lentz with a right that rocks Lentz but he survives the flurry and they get back to striking range.  Lentz may have hurt Mendes with a body kick.  Lentz gets wobbled again and his knows is bloodied.  Lentz whiffs on an uppercut and Mendes takes him down.  Lentz escapes back to the feet.  Speed of Mendes is apparent as he keeps landing.  Lentz comes forward with strikes but Mendes perfectly times a takedown.  Lentz successfully defending on the bottom and they are back on the feet.  Mendes with another takedown but he has not been able to work any ground and pound.  10-9 Mendes.

Round 2- A few leg kicks from Mendes and Lentz answers.  Good jab from Mendes.  Right hook and leg kick from Mendes.  Rogan thinks Mendes is tired or maybe hurt from round 1 body kick and he is only one strike at a time.  Takedown from Mendes again but it is short lived and Lentz works back to the feet.  Jab and hook land from Lentz.  Takedown from Mendes yet again but Mendes is not doing much much.  Lentz elevates and they are back to the feet.  Lentz stuffs a takedown but Mendes comes back and hits another one, back on top in guard doing nothing.  10-9 Mendes.

Round 3- Kicks from both fighters to start, nice to the body from Lentz.  Lentz clips Mendes and he either slipped or briefly goes down but back to the feet.  Mendes shoots in but is stuffed and momentum building for Lentz.  Headkick blocked from Mendes and Lentz flurries.  Eye poke on Lentz with only a brief pause in the action.  Good right hand from Lentz.  Mendes briefly gets a takedown but Lentz comes right back up and drills a kick into the body of Mendes.  Two more takedowns from Mendes but they are shortlived.  Left hand lands from Lentz.  Flying knee from Mendes clips Lentz and he goes down and Mendes dives in for a guillotine on top but Lentz is defending.  They rise to the feet and the round ends.  10-9 Lentz?

Chad Mendes defeats Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

Apparently Mendes had the cold/flu according to a Dana White tweet which might explain his slightly flat performance.  I wouldn’t take much away from Lentz though, he was a game opponent.

Michael McDonald vs. Urijah Faber

This is a good battle between a young stud in McDonald who has already had great early-career success and a fighter in Faber who is into the second half of his career.  It should prove a lot about where the bantamweight division is headed, if McDonald is ready for another climb to the top or whether Faber will make a final run.

Round 1- Crowd is seriously pumped for Faber and boos McDonald who has one punch power at 135. Touch of gloves to start.  Headkick from Faber into a takedown in first 15 seconds.  Faber working strikes while Rogan salivates over McDonald’s guard.  McDonald working rubber guard with Faber’s left arm stuck, Faber still working strikes.  Good shots from the top from Faber.  McDonald tying Faber up and searching for submissions with his legs.  Some body shots from Faber and Herb Dean stands them up.  Faber dancing around with kicks and shrugs of a clinch takedown from McDonald.  Head kick misses from Faber.  Big knee from McDonald to the body of Faber.  Faber misses with a big windmill right.  Good right hand from Faber lands as the round ends followed by a left.  10-9 Faber.

Round 2- Faber dances and fakes but can’t get an early takedown.  Left hooks land from both fighters.  Faber hits McDonald with a low blow and the action stops.  Restart and Faber nails McDonald with a right hand that has him wobbled.  McDonald fires back off a Faber head kick and hits Faber pretty hard which makes him reconsider his frenzy.  McDonald still unsteady but firing back and lands a good low kick.  Headkick grazes Faber but he cracks McDonald with a right and has him in trouble stumbling all over the Octagon.  Faber pursues like a wild hyena smelling blood and drops McDonald with more strikes, throws a guillotine on and McDonald taps out.  The crowd goes nuts, Rogan goes nuts and McDonald raises the hometown boy’s hand.

Urijah Faber defeats Michael McDonald via guillotine choke, round 2

Champion Demetrious Johnson vs. Joseph Benavidez

It’s time for the rematch of the first flyweight title fight in UFC history which Johnson eeked out in a decision.  Benavidez has been on a tear and is fighting at home, should be a great fight and a great test of my touch typing speed skills.

Round 1- Leg kick from Benavidez, and yep, they are both fast as shit!  Johnson goes down for a quick breakdancing move and then fails on a takedown attempt.  Punches and headkick miss from Benavidez who is more active early with punches and a high amount of kicks.  Johnson darting in and out quickly and loads up on a right hand that catches Benavidez flush and puts him out cold.  Johnson holds onto his title with his most dominant performance yet.

Champion Demetrious Johnson defeats Joseph Benavidez via KO, round 1

Good nights of fights, capped by the main and co-main events, as it should be.  Good night PotatoHeads.

Chad Mendes Intends to Give Nik Lentz a Reality Check at UFC on Fox 9

Chad Mendes isn’t a fighter people are lining up to face.
The former title challenger has been a staple in the upper tier of the featherweight division for the past several years and has left a trail of wrecked opposition in his wake.
Since joining the…

Chad Mendes isn’t a fighter people are lining up to face.

The former title challenger has been a staple in the upper tier of the featherweight division for the past several years and has left a trail of wrecked opposition in his wake.

Since joining the WEC in 2010, “Money” has found success in 10 of his 11 showings, with his only loss coming at the hands of 145-pound king Jose Aldo when they squared off for the featherweight title at UFC 142 in January of 2012.

Following his loss to Aldo, the perennial contender has rattled off four consecutive victories, with each win coming by way of knockout. In three of those bouts, Mendes was forced to deal with a change of opponent, as the fighter originally slated to face him withdrew due to injury.

In some cases, a replacement could not be found and Mendes was pulled from the card entirely. But in situations like his scheduled bout with Clay Guida at UFC on Fox 7 back in April, “The Carpenter” suffered an injury and Darren Elkins stepped in.

The scrappy Indiana native was promptly knocked out for his troubles and the bout with Guida was rescheduled for UFC 164 in August.

The matchup figured to be one of Mendes‘ toughest to date, as Guida‘s wrestling and nonstop attack presented interesting challenges for the California native, but Mendes ultimately handled the test with ease, as he became the first man to stop the former lightweight via strikes.

Where Mendes was once a nightmare matchup for the opposition based on his wrestling skill alone, now he was unveiling a new weapon with his striking and the results his stand-up produced sent a stern message to the rest of the featherweight division.

“I think I’m definitely answering the critics,” Mendes told Bleacher Report. “When I first started fighting, all I had was wrestling. I didn’t have any stand-up or jiu-jitsu training and I had wrestled my whole life. Getting into it, obviously the stand-up took awhile to develop. The jiu-jitsu came pretty quickly because it’s so similar to wrestling, but the stand-up was a completely different world for me.

“It was something I wanted to take my time to perfect and really become good at, but it took awhile because I wasn’t really comfortable getting in there in a live situation and relying on my striking.

“I went back to my wrestling almost every time because it’s a fight and I had to use my strongest weapon to win. If I hadn’t done that then, I wouldn’t be where I’m at now. It was something that needed to be done and the striking aspect is coming along. It’s fresh in my mind and I’m becoming very comfortable in that aspect.

“I think my progress is showing and having Duane Ludwig out here coaching us and showing all the crazy techniques that go on in his mind has been unbelievable. The guy is a tactical genius when it comes to this sport. I think it has shown in everyone at Team Alpha Male. Everyone is loving him here and his system and the way he runs things has been perfect for us.

“For me it always takes time,” he added. “Even in wrestling, it took me awhile to get comfortable taking different shots. It’s just how I’ve always been. I like being completely comfortable and confident in a certain area before I start getting crazy…especially when my job is on the line.

“I learned a little more with each fight and now I’m here in a place where I’m knocking guys out. I just feel really comfortable and confident in there. I feel there is a lot more to improve upon and I’m excited to get out there and take the next step.”

While the victory over Guida and a four-fight winning streak would typically be enough to warrant a title opportunity, the featherweight championship picture was in a state of disarray with the UFC waiting to determine who would get the next shot at Aldo.

That honor ultimately went to Ricardo Lamas and the former No. 1 contender decided to keep things rolling, agreeing to take another fight.

Where finding opponents for Mendes has apparently been somewhat trying in the past, the UFC did not have to look too far for his next go-around.

Despite already having a bout lined up against Dennis Bermudez at Fight for the Troops 3, former-lightweight-turned-surging-featherweight Nik Lentz jumped at the opportunity when a chance to fight Mendes opened up.

“The Carny” has won all three of his showings at 145 pounds, and while that is certainly impressive, Mendes believes the American Top Team product has bitten off more than he can chew. Lentz sent some verbal charges in his direction at a pre-fight press conference back in October and Mendes believes his opponent will be brought back to reality when they step into the Octagon at UFC on Fox 9.

Where Mendes has risen to the top of the featherweight ranks on the strength of his wrestling talents, the past four fights have shown a marked progression in his striking skills.

Team Alpha Male brought on former UFC veteran and Muay Thai guru Duane “Bang” Ludwig to serve as head coach for the Sacramento-based squad, and the results have been nothing short of impressive.

All six of Mendes‘ victories leading up to the Aldo fight came by way of decision, but his four wins following his title shot have all come via TKO or KO. The 28-year-old has found a new level of comfort on his feet and that confidence has opened up an entirely new avenue to his game.

He will be looking to continue that progression against Lentz and believes he’ll have the advantage in nearly every department when the two men meet on Dec. 14.

“[Lentz] was doing it at the press conference. I don’t know if he’s completely crazy or he’s just trying to pump himself up. Some of the stuff he’s saying, I’m just like, ‘Dude…you can’t really believe that.’ But it is what it is. You have to give the guy some credit for being confident in himself I guess.

“I think I’m a bad matchup for him. I’m a way better athlete than he is. I’m strong and I’m going to be much quicker than he is. I have better wrestling as well.

“The way he beats guys is to take them down and grind them out. He is slow and doesn’t really have much in his stand-up. He looks strong, but I’m strong too and my speed and wrestling are going to be able to nullify that.

“He’s probably the most confident guy I’ve fought—at least in the sense of letting everyone else know it. I’m excited to get in there and get that fifth knockout.

“I basically take it one fight at a time. But there are a few top guys in our division. Myself, Frankie Edgar, Cub Swanson and Ricardo Lamas are at the top and I feel like it’s our pool. Then we have guys like Lentz who are trying to break into that pool.

“This is a fight for him to get in there, so I understand why he has to be confident and try to pump himself up, because this is the biggest fight of his career. I look at this fight like it is just another great step towards the belt for me.

“He’s a tough guy. He’s a big guy and he is cutting down from 155. I’m expecting him to be strong, I just think I’m going to be too much for him.”

While the bout against Lentz will hold heavy implications on Mendes‘ title hopes, there is a huge amount of additional appeal with the card taking place in Sacramento. The city is the place he and his Team Alpha Male teammates call home—three of them will be competing alongside him on Saturday night.

In addition to his bout, friends Danny Castillo, Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez will all step into action at the event with big bouts in front of them.

While they all have plenty to gain and more to lose at UFC on Fox 9, Benavidez will be making his second attempt to claim the flyweight title. With the close-knit group at Team Alpha Male, their friend claiming championship gold is a victory for the entire squad and Mendes has just as much hope for his teammate as he does for himself. 

“It is awesome, man,” Mendes said. “I’ve actually fought on the same card as Joe and Faber before at a WEC event. It was awesome because we got a clean sweep and it was one of the coolest nights of my life.

“I have fought in Sacramento one other time back when the WEC did the only pay-per-view they ever did. Faber was also on that card and it was amazing fighting in front of the hometown crowd. The Sacramento crowd is unbelievable. They are rowdy and it’s fun having them behind us.

“Now that Joe is going to be fighting for a world title with us on that card, it’s just awesome. This is going to be so cool for Team Alpha Male. It’s a great way for us to end the year and bring that belt back to Sacramento. All my friends and family have been talking about it nonstop.

“It’s also cool hearing your name on local radio stations and hearing people talk about it in the gym. This is what we do all this hard work for and it’s about to pay off. I couldn’t be more excited.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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The BANG Effect: A Statistical Look at 2013?s Most Improved MMA Team [DATABOMB]


(Duane Ludwig [right] with one of his star pupils. / Photo via Sherdog)

By Reed Kuhn, @Fightnomics

An unlikely new coaching star, Duane “Bang” Ludwig has surged to the forefront of the competitive MMA coaching landscape after a fortuitous change of scenery. Ludwig is the obvious candidate for 2013’s “MMA Coach of the Year,” and few would question this, despite little fan awareness of his coaching prowess just one year ago.

Ludwig certainly had a tough 2012 that included three consecutive UFC losses, each one by first-round stoppage, the last of which added a fight-ending and career-threatening knee injury to the insult. But almost immediately after beginning the lengthy rehabilitation process, Ludwig got an unexpected phone call from Urijah Faber, and the creator of the Bang Muay Thai system suddenly migrated from the suburbs of Denver, Colorado to Sacramento, California.

Since Ludwig’s arrival at Team Alpha Male in December of 2012, his team’s fighters have been posting wins and highlight reel finishes at an unlikely pace. It’s even more unlikely, literally, when you consider the low share of TKO finishes that normally occur in the smaller weight classes where most Alpha Male fighters compete. The MMA media have been quick to point to the undeniable results of Team Alpha Male’s performance in the UFC as evidence that Ludwig was the missing ingredient to a team with championship potential. To be fair, the team already included former champions and contenders under Zuffa banners, but none that currently held a UFC belt. Now heading into this weekend’s UFC on FOX 9 card, Team Alpha Male has a chance to rack up not just four more wins, but capture its first UFC title of the Bang Era, and hold leading contender status in several divisions.

With all this hype around a team that is making a lot of noise, it’s a legitimate question to ask: Are they really better, or is this just a nice run of luck? The sudden emergence of Duane Ludwig as the MMA Coach of the Year is an extraordinary claim, and if Carl Sagan were still around (and an MMA fan), he would suggest that we demand extraordinary evidence before reaching such a bold conclusion. So I’m going to run the numbers in excruciating detail just to make sure.


(Duane Ludwig [right] with one of his star pupils. / Photo via Sherdog)

By Reed Kuhn, @Fightnomics

An unlikely new coaching star, Duane “Bang” Ludwig has surged to the forefront of the competitive MMA coaching landscape after a fortuitous change of scenery. Ludwig is the obvious candidate for 2013′s “MMA Coach of the Year,” and few would question this, despite little fan awareness of his coaching prowess just one year ago.

Ludwig certainly had a tough 2012 that included three consecutive UFC losses, each one by first-round stoppage, the last of which added a fight-ending and career-threatening knee injury to the insult. But almost immediately after beginning the lengthy rehabilitation process, Ludwig got an unexpected phone call from Urijah Faber, and the creator of the Bang Muay Thai system suddenly migrated from the suburbs of Denver, Colorado to Sacramento, California.

Since Ludwig’s arrival at Team Alpha Male in December of 2012, his team’s fighters have been posting wins and highlight reel finishes at an unlikely pace. It’s even more unlikely, literally, when you consider the low share of TKO finishes that normally occur in the smaller weight classes where most Alpha Male fighters compete. The MMA media have been quick to point to the undeniable results of Team Alpha Male’s performance in the UFC as evidence that Ludwig was the missing ingredient to a team with championship potential. To be fair, the team already included former champions and contenders under Zuffa banners, but none that currently held a UFC belt. Now heading into this weekend’s UFC on FOX 9 card, Team Alpha Male has a chance to rack up not just four more wins, but capture its first UFC title of the Bang Era, and hold leading contender status in several divisions.

With all this hype around a team that is making a lot of noise, it’s a legitimate question to ask: Are they really better, or is this just a nice run of luck? The sudden emergence of Duane Ludwig as the MMA Coach of the Year is an extraordinary claim, and if Carl Sagan were still around (and an MMA fan), he would suggest that we demand extraordinary evidence before reaching such a bold conclusion. So I’m going to run the numbers in excruciating detail just to make sure.

The data analyzed here includes all statistics from UFC fights for Urijah Faber, Joseph Benavidez, Chad Mendes, Danny Castillo, and TJ Dillashaw. Because WEC fights were in a smaller cage, stats from those fights will be skewed to contain more action and finishes. So this is an apples-to-apples comparison of the same five fighters in UFC fights only, before and after the arrival of their new coach. I’m not just interested in total wins and finishes, I want to know specifically how their performance in the Octagon has changed. I’ve got 21 fights for this group of fighters in the UFC leading up to December 2012, and then 14 more that have taken place since. Those are our before and after samples.

Now let’s see what they tell us.

What You’ve Already Heard:

Team Alpha Male has been winning. A lot. And not just winning, but finishing opponents. The implicit suggestion is that they’re doing better than before, but how much better? Here’s how the team’s fight performance looks comparing records before and after the arrival of Coach Bang Ludwig.

So the rumors are true. Team Alpha Male is indeed winning and finishing a lot of fights, and yes, even more so than before. They were already a winning group, but now they hardly ever lose. Their lone losing performance in 2013 was TJ Dillashaw’s gutsy split decision loss to Raphael Assuncao in Brazil. The rest were all victorious, and this doesn’t even include the recent TUF 18 winner Chris Holdsworth (too recent to be included in the analysis). During the course of racking up these 13 victories, Team Alpha Male fighters also finished nine of their opponents, seven via strikes. That’s a much higher finishing rate (and especially KO/TKO rate) than their division peers in the UFC.

But we knew that. What’s new here is that we can now dive much deeper into very specific performance variables on a per-fighter and per-round basis to understand exactly how Team Alpha Male has improved their relative performance.

Standup Striking Metrics

These findings are, well, striking. It turns out that Team Alpha Male has improved on literally every single key metric I follow for assessing striking performance in the UFC. These fighters have improved jab and power head striking accuracy, clinch accuracy, and even their striking defense. They’ve done all this while increasing their striking output relative to opponents and demonstrating greater cage control. In terms of power, they’ve more than doubled their collective knockdown rate on a punch-for-punch basis, and have yet to be knocked down themselves.

It would seem that the addition of a head coach that specializes in striking has made a huge impact on a team that was highly competitive to begin with. They’ve stepped up their striking game across the board, and improved their performance metrics in every meaningful offensive and defensive category. Now what else can we find?

Significant Striking Metrics

In terms of Significant Striking the team has increased their pace by 13%, and improved the overall rate at which they land strikes. Even in terms of defense, Team Alpha Male improved slightly on an already solid metric.

Significant Strikes include all strikes thrown at a distance, plus power strikes in the clinch and on the ground. They are a general, but also useful statistic to measure the overall effective output of a fighter, and by these metrics again the team has improved their performance across the board. But what about on the ground?

Wrestling Metrics

The last category of stats reflects wrestling, both in terms of offense and defense. The results show that these fighters are attempting fewer takedowns than previously, but have been more successful in their attempts. The wrestling-centric reputation of the old Team Alpha Male is at risk of fading given that their fighters are choosing to stand and trade more often. But that doesn’t mean their skills are getting rusty. On the contrary; the team has more than doubled their takedown success rate, have landed those takedowns with more force (more frequent slams), and have also defended a very high rate of attempts by their opponents. In terms of performance, they have once again improved in every category, but this time on the mat.

The Final Word

Whether these results are surprising is not really important. Analysis is still a valuable tool, even when it simply confirms what we already thought to be true. Many believed that Ludwig’s arrival in Sacramento marked an improvement in the team’s performance. But with these analytical findings, now we know that to be true. It’s not a small improvement, it’s significant, and it’s across the board. Team Alpha Male is now a new and improved breed of solid wrestlers that have added crisp and violent striking to their arsenal. While fans of the sport have shared the benefits that this team of “Uber Males” has brought to the UFC, opponents in the promotion’s smaller divisions should be justifiably concerned.

With Benavidez, Faber, Mendes, and Castillo all competing at the UFC on FOX 9 card in their home-field arena in Sacramento, a lot of attention will be given to their performance. In terms of market expectations, Benavidez is currently considered a slight underdog to incumbent champion Demetrious Johnson. Lines on the rest of the Alpha Males are still pending at the time of this writing, but I expect Faber to have a close matchup with McDonald, Castillo to be a possible underdog to Barboza, and Mendes to be the only one getting a clear favorite line over Lentz. These should all be fun fights to watch. But there’s a lot at risk here for Team Alpha Male who are still seeking their first UFC title, and for head coach Duane Ludwig, who is hoping to end 2013 with a Bang.

For more MMA science and stats, follow @Fightnomics on Twitter or on Facebook, and check out the soon-to-be-released book on MMA analytics at www.fightnomics.com/book.

UFC on FOX 9: A Win Should Net Chad Mendes a Title Shot

Chad Mendes, ranked No. 1 in the featherweight division, is set to take on No. 8-ranked Nik Lentz at UFC on FOX 9. A win in Sacramento, California should be enough to earn Mendes another shot at the UFC Featherweight Championship.
Mendes has challenged…

Chad Mendes, ranked No. 1 in the featherweight division, is set to take on No. 8-ranked Nik Lentz at UFC on FOX 9. A win in Sacramento, California should be enough to earn Mendes another shot at the UFC Featherweight Championship.

Mendes has challenged for the title once before. In his third UFC bout he was knocked out right before the round-ending horn. Champion Jose Aldo broke Mendes‘ grip, and turned with a vicious knee that connected flush. This coming after Mendes failed on a takedown attempt thanks to Aldo grabbing the fence.

That small action was very meaningful.

Since the title fight, Mendes has gone 4-0 in the division. The combination of a more focused Mendes, Duane Ludwig’s coaching and a couple of less-than-stellar opponents has made Mendes look phenomenal.

The first two opponents were not top 10 caliber. Cody McKenzie and late replacement Yaotzin Meza were in over their heads, and it showed. McKenzie was put down via TKO with a big body shot just 31 seconds in to the fight. Meza went down with a straight KO at 1:55 of the first round.

Mendes got his third win over Darren Elkins, who was riding a five-fight win streak into the bout. Mendes ended the streak in just 1:08 for his third straight knockout. He could have very well been granted a title shot after that impressive win.

Instead, he got top-10 ranked Clay Guida, who lasted until the third round, when Mendes finally got the stoppage. 30 seconds into the final frame, the referee pulled Mendes away. Once again, that could have been enough to earn Mendes the title shot. Once again, he was passed over.

Five straight wins should put anyone in contention for a title shot. Mendes, more that most, deserves that honor. He has been the No. 1-ranked contender for quite some time and has put together stoppage after stoppage.

It will be difficult to deny Mendes if he gets past Lentz.

Lentz is 3-0 in the featherweight division. He is working his way up the ladder, and he has a habit of making his opponents look bad. Mendes shouldn’t need an impressive showing, but if he has one against Lentz it will only highlight his improvement since the first Aldo fight. Emphasizing that he is the top contender in the division.

Only one other featherweight has a similar résumé to Mendes. Cub Swanson, No. 4-ranked in the division, has five straight wins in the division. He also has four knockout performances. However, Mendes is the No. 1-ranked fighter. That should hold some weight.

If Mendes can match his win streak, then it is Mendes‘ title shot. He will have done all that he needs for a second try at UFC gold.

December 14th will be the date when Mendes can make his case as the next contender for the strap. A win, emphatic or not, should be enough to put Mendes in line.

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