– Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira: Following his unsuccessful title challenge against Jose Aldo — which gave Edgar his third decision loss in a row — “The Answer” returns to the featherweight division to face dangerous grappler Charles Oliveira. Though Oliveira hasn’t competed since his knockout loss to Cub Swanson at UFC 152, his two previous fights resulted in submission victories over Jonathan Brookins and Eric Wisely. It’s a logical rebound fight for Edgar, and a huge opportunity for Oliveira.
– Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver: Speaking of Swanson, the Jackson’s MMA product is red-hot lately, with four straight victories in the UFC (three by KO/TKO). Fresh off his recent decision win over Dustin Poirier, Swanson will try to add to his streak against the hard-striking Dennis Siver, who is 2-0 since dropping to featherweight, with decision wins over Diego Nunes and Nam Phan.
– Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira: Following his unsuccessful title challenge against Jose Aldo — which gave Edgar his third decision loss in a row — “The Answer” returns to the featherweight division to face dangerous grappler Charles Oliveira. Though Oliveira hasn’t competed since his knockout loss to Cub Swanson at UFC 152, his two previous fights resulted in submission victories over Jonathan Brookins and Eric Wisely. It’s a logical rebound fight for Edgar, and a huge opportunity for Oliveira.
– Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver: Speaking of Swanson, the Jackson’s MMA product is red-hot lately, with four straight victories in the UFC (three by KO/TKO). Fresh off his recent decision win over Dustin Poirier, Swanson will try to add to his streak against the hard-striking Dennis Siver, who is 2-0 since dropping to featherweight, with decision wins over Diego Nunes and Nam Phan.
– Meanwhile in the middleweight division, Chris Leben will attempt to snap his two-fight losing streak against 8-1 prospect Andrew Craig, who most recently lost a decision to Ronny Markes at UFC on FX 7.
– With his four-fight win streak snapped by Mike Pierce in December, welterweight Seth Baczynski will welcome Strikeforce vet Brian Melancon into the Octagon.
In the fast-moving world of mixed martial arts, fans and pundits alike can’t help but gaze into their crystal ball. It’s why we always want to hear one fighter call out their next opponent as soon as Joe Rogan hands them a microphone after a big win.Ho…
In the fast-moving world of mixed martial arts, fans and pundits alike can’t help but gaze into their crystal ball. It’s why we always want to hear one fighter call out their next opponent as soon as Joe Rogan hands them a microphone after a big win.
However, not everyone’s future looks so bright. Some Zuffa fighters are on the cusp of being released. Others are stuck outside of the UFC looking in. There are even some top names who fight in the Octagon who simply don’t have much to look forward to.
Here is a look at 10 fighters whose futures are looking pretty bleak.
If you ask any of the Brazilians in attendance at Saturday’s UFC on FX 7 event, Daniel Sarafian was absolutely swindled out of a decision victory in the evening’s co-main event. In reality, the fight between Sarafian and The Ultimate Fighter …
If you ask any of the Brazilians in attendance at Saturday’s UFC on FX 7 event, Daniel Sarafian was absolutely swindled out of a decision victory in the evening’s co-main event.
In reality, the fight between Sarafian and The Ultimate Fighter runner-up C.B. Dollaway was dead even heading into the final round, which was a back-and-forth round that could have been scored in either man’s favor.
After the hard-fought loss in the evening’s Fight of the Night, Sarafian unfortunately joins the long list of Ultimate Fighter alumni who came up short in their Octagon debut. After the razor-thin decision, it’s time to take a look at what’s next for TUF: Brasil fighter Daniel Sarafian.
Sarafian is a short and stocky powerhouse who utilizes looping punches and wild haymakers while standing, but also has a dangerous submission game at his disposal in the event that the fight hits the canvas.
Choosing an opponent for the Brazilian is fairly simple. Considering his lower-tier placement on the roster, as long as he faces someone also on the bottom rung of the division, it’s an acceptable pairing.
However, considering the excitement put forth by Sarafian against an 11-fight UFC veteran like Dollaway, there is no problem with giving the Sao Paulo native another UFC notable who happens to be down on his luck.
The signs point to a fellow slugger who prefers to bang but doesn’t mind submitting foes if absolutely necessary: Chris “The Crippler” Leben.
Chris Leben is one of the most popular stars to ever step foot into the Octagon. Part of that has to do with his memorable appearance on the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter, but primarily, it is because he is a game fighter with an iron chin and a desire to end contests in violent fashion.
At the pinnacle of his career, Leben won his first five contests inside the Octagon. However, his biggest wins came years later when he finished highly regarded YoshihiroAkiyama and Wanderlei Silva.
Currently, Leben is on a career-worst 1-3 stretch in his most recent bouts. His most recent loss came against wrestler Derek Brunson at UFC 155, although he was previously scheduled to meet unrankedKarlosVemola on the card.
A fight between Sarafian and Leben is perfect for any Brazilian card, as the hometown star will be beloved by the audience, while Leben has the name-value to support main-card placement on any event.
UFC middleweight Chris Leben opened up about his recent decision loss to promotion newcomer Derek Brunson at UFC 155. Via his Twitter account, @cripplerufc, Leben claimed: I just had a little ring rust. But that being said derek brunson (sic)…
UFC middleweight Chris Leben opened up about his recent decision loss to promotion newcomer Derek Brunson at UFC 155.
Via his Twitter account, @cripplerufc, Leben claimed:
I just had a little ring rust. But that being said derek brunson (sic) is a boring fighter the times he hit me, i let him just to get him to swing
Bold words, eh?
“The Crippler” is no stranger to controversy, though, and his mixed martial arts career has been defined by a nausea-inducing cycle of ups and downs and highlights and lowlights.
By all accounts, his UFC 155 performance against Brunson was the lowliest of lowlights. Leben was unable to mount any sort of offense in the fight, and he was constantly pestered by Brunson’s dominant wrestling and control in the clinch.
Even when the bout was contested at a favorable range for Leben in the standup department, he failed to capitalize on any openings. Brunson, in fact, looked like the better striker.
Leben definitely did not look like himself in this fight, and one has to wonder what sort of personal demons he continues to battle at this stage in his career.
Is he too worn down by his past, or was this simply a case of ring rust, as he asserts? Was Brunson just a perfectly terrible stylistic matchup for him?
Personally, I think Brunson is not getting his due. The man took the fight against Leben on eight days’ notice, he made weight, he went the distance and he notched his first UFC victory. There is something to be said for that.
I find it a bit childish that Leben would brush Brunson under the bus like this, especially given the hardships Brunson had to overcome. Add in the fact that he was undoubtedly nervous about his big-time debut, and I think Brunson performed well.
Leben, however, simply doesn’t see it that way, and it seems “The Crippler” is looking for a way to save face in the wake of what was arguably his worst Octagon performance to date.
Was the loss to Brunson a case of ring rust, or is Leben done?
Sound off, readers. I anxiously await your thoughts.
Heading into every UFC fight card there are always a handful of fighters that have something much greater than a win or a loss at stake. At UFC 155 you had Leonard Garcia coming in with a three-fight losing streak. Todd Duffee returned to the promotion…
Heading into every UFC fight card there are always a handful of fighters that have something much greater than a win or a loss at stake. At UFC 155 you had Leonard Garcia coming in with a three-fight losing streak. Todd Duffee returned to the promotion after being dismissed in 2010 and Alan Belcher looks to make a statement and that he belonged among the middleweight division’s elite.
Junior dos Santos looks to defend his title against Cain Velasquez. However, the fighter that may have been under the most pressure was one of the two individuals that were opening the pay-per-view portion of the fight card, Chris Leben.
On December 29, Leben returned to the Octagon for the first time in 13 months. His last fight, a corner stoppage loss to Mark Munoz, took place on November 5, 2011. Following that fight Leben was popped for having oxycodone and oxymorphone in his system. The positive test resulted in a one-year suspension by the UFC.
At that point the promotion could have very easily kicked Chris Leben out of the business; after all it was his second drug related suspension, and when you add in the fact that he had a two previous DUI related arrests to his name, no one would have blamed the promotion if they had decided to hand Leben his walking papers.
Instead of washing their hands of the fighter, the UFC put the fighter into rehab. Prior to UFC 155, Leben spoke to UFC.com and voiced his appreciation for the promotion getting him into recovery and vowed that he would deliver a memorable performance for his benefactors:
It means so much that Dana White, Joe Silva, and the Fertittas have helped me out. They sent me to rehab. I really feel like now I just want to do nothing more than make them happy – to just go out and put on a good show. Go out and show them that I’m the fighter that I believe I can be, and the fighter that I believe they believe I can be as well because they have kept me around.
Leben’s high hopes for himself went unrealized at UFC 155; the clearly gassed fighter dropped a unanimous decision to Derek Brunson on December 29. The fight left UFC president Dana White lamenting his decision to place Leben on the PPV portion of the card.
“I made a mistake putting [Leben] on the main card,” White said after the fight, “I should have had him on the undercard.”
That a clean and sober Leben even entered the Octagon at UFC 155 can be viewed as passing a test. That he lost to Brunsonisn’t really important in the grand scheme of things. With that being said, the real test could be the one that Leben now faces back home in Hawaii.
Leben’s focus in the months leading up to the fight in Las Vegas was just that—his fight in Vegas. The members of his fight camp who were all getting him prepared for that bout on December 29 surrounded him and kept his mind on the goal of defeating Brunson.
Now that the fight is finished, one has to wonder what’s next for the 32-year old fighter.
This time out of the spotlight will be a critical time for Leben, but he seems to have the right mindset regarding his recovery, knowing that it’s a lifelong process that will have it’s ups and downs, as he told MMAJunkie.com:
It’s definitely not in the past for me. I’d be lying to you if I told you the thoughts weren’t there – if stress doesn’t get high and start raising in my life, and instantly my natural reaction is to look for the easy way out. And I don’t think that’s going away anytime soon – absolutely not. Does that mean there’s something wrong with me? No. That just means I’m an addict, and I had an issue.
The focus now, for Leben, for his friends and training partners, for the UFC and for his fans should be on Chris Leben the man, not Chris “The Crippler” Leben, the fighter.
Fan of the fighter or not, you should wish the man luck on his road to recovery.
UFC 155 was not the finest hour for Chris Leben.In fact, the entire year of 2012 is probably one Leben might wish to forget. The hard-hitting fan favorite rode the metaphorical pine all year after testing positive for painkillers in November 2011,…
In fact, the entire year of 2012 is probably one Leben might wish to forget. The hard-hitting fan favorite rode the metaphorical pine all year after testing positive for painkillers in November 2011, and when he came back Saturday night, he dropped a unanimous decision to UFC debutante Derek Brunson in a 15-minute snoozefest that saw both men gas badly and fail to consistently display any notable offense of any kind.
Unfortunately, last November wasn’t the setting of Leben’s first positive drug test. But if he turns in another performance like the one he turned in Saturday night, it could be the last.
Leben (22-9) is now 32 years old, but may be more advanced in corporeal terms because of all those odometer clicks he’s put on himself over the years, thanks to all those fights and all those struggles with substance abuse.
Personally, though, I don’t want to see Leben go out like this. He has captured the hearts and minds of many, many people who love his brawling style and thunderous fists or recognize his personal demons as their own.
Nevertheless, he’ll need to do better his next time out. A lot better. Here are five middleweights who could provide a solid litmus test for “The Crippler.”
If you ask any of the Brazilians in attendance at Saturday’s