Tag: Chris Weidman

UFC on FUEL: Munoz vs. Weidman Aftermath — Baby, You’re a Star

(A replay of Weidman’s incredible standing elbow and the savage ground-and-pound finish, via fueltv.)

With so many contenders clogging up the upper echelon of the UFC middleweight division — all with their hands out for a title shot — Chris Weidman had to do something extra special to get noticed in his fight against Mark Munoz last night. Because let’s face it: Until now, his name wasn’t setting off alarm bells with many casual fans. Sure, the Serra-Longo-bred wrestler/grappler was 4-0 in the UFC, but his personality wasn’t “colorful” enough to create hype around his fights (à la master salesmen Sonnen, Bisping, Mayhem), and if your most impressive performance in the Octagon is a submission win over Tom Lawlor, you still have a long way to go, right?

So this is how you make your name in the UFC. Step 1) Utterly dominate an opponent who was himself thought to be one of the next challengers to the middleweight title. Step 2) Finish the fight in a way that immediately clinches a spot on future “Best Knockouts of 2012” lists, both for its technical brilliance (the Spider-esque timing of that standing elbow!) and for its hard-to-watch brutality (uh, you gonna stop this one any time soon, Josh?). Step 3) Call out Anderson Silva after the fight — hell, go ahead and say you can submit him — just four days after Silva re-cemented himself as the most untouchable 185’er in MMA history.

And so, a main event that was not officially a #1 contender’s match might turn out to be one after all. Sure, there are bigger names than Weidman in the title hunt — and maybe he’ll have to fight somebody like Alan Belcher or the Lombard/Boetsch winner before he gets the opportunity — but no matter what the future holds for him, Chris Weidman is a star now. In one fight, he went from being a semi-anonymous contender to the name on every UFC fan’s lips.

Meanwhile, Mark Munoz drops down the ladder where hungry middleweight up-and-comers like Constantinos Philippou and Francis Carmont are on their own heat-seeking paths to contendership. In other words, the UFC middleweight division has never been deeper and more exciting — which makes it the worst possible time to take a high-profile loss, especially one in which you weren’t competitive for a single moment of the fight. We haven’t seen the last of the Filipino Wrecking Machine by any means, but it’s going to take him a long time to claw his way back to where he was before Wednesday night.

In other news…


(A replay of Weidman’s incredible standing elbow and the savage ground-and-pound finish, via fueltv.)

With so many contenders clogging up the upper echelon of the UFC middleweight division — all with their hands out for a title shot — Chris Weidman had to do something extra special to get noticed in his fight against Mark Munoz last night. Because let’s face it: Until now, his name wasn’t setting off alarm bells with many casual fans. Sure, the Serra-Longo-bred wrestler/grappler was 4-0 in the UFC, but his personality wasn’t “colorful” enough to create hype around his fights (à la master salesmen Sonnen, Bisping, Mayhem), and if your most impressive performance in the Octagon is a submission win over Tom Lawlor, you still have a long way to go, right?

So this is how you make your name in the UFC. Step 1) Utterly dominate an opponent who was himself thought to be one of the next challengers to the middleweight title. Step 2) Finish the fight in a way that immediately clinches a spot on future “Best Knockouts of 2012″ lists, both for its technical brilliance (the Spider-esque timing of that standing elbow!) and for its hard-to-watch brutality (uh, you gonna stop this one any time soon, Josh?). Step 3) Call out Anderson Silva after the fight — hell, go ahead and say you can submit him — just four days after Silva re-cemented himself as the most untouchable 185′er in MMA history.

And so, a main event that was not officially a #1 contender’s match might turn out to be one after all. Sure, there are bigger names than Weidman in the title hunt — and maybe he’ll have to fight somebody like Alan Belcher or the Lombard/Boetsch winner before he gets the opportunity — but no matter what the future holds for him, Chris Weidman is a star now. In one fight, he went from being a semi-anonymous contender to the name on every UFC fan’s lips.

Meanwhile, Mark Munoz drops down the ladder where hungry middleweight up-and-comers like Constantinos Philippou and Francis Carmont are on their own heat-seeking paths to contendership. In other words, the UFC middleweight division has never been deeper and more exciting — which makes it the worst possible time to take a high-profile loss, especially one in which you weren’t competitive for a single moment of the fight. We haven’t seen the last of the Filipino Wrecking Machine by any means, but it’s going to take him a long time to claw his way back to where he was before Wednesday night.

In other news…

Weidman’s victory earned him a $40,000 Knockout of the Night bonus. The Fight of the Night awards went to light-heavyweights James Te-Huna and Joey Beltran for their three-round punch-out that Te-Huna won by unanimous decision, which is particularly impressive when you consider that Te-Huna broke a hand and a foot in the first round. Submission of the Night went to Alex Caceres, who triangle-choked Damacio Page in the prelims, and continues to prove that he’s more than just the “Bruce Leroy” caricature he presented on TUF 12. That’s the third-straight submission loss in the UFC (and fourth overall) for Page, who’s probably going bye-bye.

Speaking of the prelims, anybody see that head-kick that Andrew Craig landed on Rafael Natal? Natal was lighting Craig up in the second round, but then allowed him to recover on the mat. Then, Craig got to his feet and this happened (via IronForgesIron):

Nasty. Here are the complete results from UFC on FUEL TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman…

MAIN CARD
– Chris Weidman def. Mark Muñoz via KO, 1:37 of round 2
– James Te-Huna def. Joey Beltran via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27 x 2)
– Aaron Simpson def. Kenny Robertson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
– Francis Carmont def. Karlos Vemola via submission (rear-naked choke), 1:39 of round 2
– T.J. Dillashaw def. Vaughan Lee via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:33 of round 1
– Rafael dos Anjos def. Anthony Njokuani via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD
– Alex Caceres def. Damacio Page via submission (triangle choke), 1:27 of round 2
– Chris Cariaso def. Josh Ferguson via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
– Andrew Craig def. Rafael Natal via KO, 4:52 of round 2
– Marcelo Guimaraes def. Dan Stittgen via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
– Raphael Assunção def. Issei Tamura via TKO, 0:25 of round 2


(Sorry, guys. I just had to. Props: JessicaKardashian1)

UFC on Fuel TV 4 – Post Fight Breakdown

Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman I don’t know if I’ve ever been more wrong on fight pick than I was on this one. Chris Weidman is absolutely the real deal and he destroyed Mark Munoz..

Mark Munoz vs. Chris Weidman

I don’t know if I’ve ever been more wrong on fight pick than I was on this one. Chris Weidman is absolutely the real deal and he destroyed Mark Munoz. I thought the wrestling would be even. Weidman took him down immediately and easily to start both rounds. I thought Munoz would have a striking advantage. He never landed a significant strike and Weidman scored one of the most impressive knockouts in UFC history. I was a little hesitant to jump on the hype train but I’m on board now.

Weidman dominated the first round completely after scoring the opening takedown. He controlled position and nearly submitted Munoz with a guillotine from the mount position twice. Every time Munoz tried to stand or reverse position, Weidman was ahead of him and brought him back under control. Munoz didn’t have a single offensive moment in the round and had to resort to giving up his back to get to his feet at the very end of the round. Weidman opened the second round the same as the first and continued the script. Munoz seemed to earn his first minor victory of the fight when he found a way to get the fight back to a standing position. Instead, Weidman countered Munoz’ first combination with a destructive short counter elbow that should have stopped the fight. For some reason, Josh Rosenthal allowed the fight to continue and Weidman proceeded to punch Munoz in and out of consciousness while Rosenthal took an inexplicably long time to intervene. Regardless, the finish was undeniably great and Weidman is officially the biggest threat to Anderson Silva in the middleweight division.

Weidman’s victory may have earned him the next title shot and one more similarly dominating performance would have to guarantee him that title shot. I don’t know if he has what it takes to end the champions’s streak of domination but his skill set is scarier than any other contender in the division. For Mark Munoz, this loss is a big blow and he will have to win a couple fights in a row if he wants to get back into the title picture. But the story coming out of this fight is obviously the arrival of Chris Weidman. The impressiveness of this victory cannot be overstated.

James Te Huna vs. Joey Beltran

In a surprise to everyone, the light heavyweight slugfest between James Te Huna and Joey Beltran went to a decision. Less surprising was Te Huna having his arm raised at the end. The first round went exactly according to script as the two big bangers came out swinging. Both landed some heavy shots but Te Huna consistently got the better of the exchanges and scored the bigger punches. He hurt Beltran badly in the final minute of round one and pounced for the finish. Beltran’s brick chin and the bell signaling the end of the round were the only thing that saved him from a TKO. Te Huna seemed to burn out his arms trying to finish Beltran and didn’t have the explosiveness in his punches to score the knockout later in the fight. He continued to dominate in the second round but seemed to tire significantly by the third round allowing Beltran back into the fight.

Te Huna continues to climb in the light heavyweight division but will need to further diversify his game with wrestling and grappling if he wants to succeed against more well-rounded fighters. This fight going three rounds may prove to be a blessing for him as he now knows what it feels like to go fifteen minutes in the UFC and should be motivated to improve his conditioning. For Beltran, this outcome doesn’t change his status. He is never going to be a top tier fighter but his relentlessness and superhuman chin guarantee an exciting fight every time he steps in the cage with another striker. When Joe Silva needs a slugfest to add some entertainment to a card, he knows who to call.


Aaron Simpson vs. Kenny Robertson

Aaron Simpson looked impressive in his debut at welterweight doing everything but finishing Kenny Robertson on his way to a unanimous decision. Simpson realized early in the first round that he had the wrestling advantage and used that to control his opponent throughout the fight. He didn’t threaten to finish the fight until the very end of the third round but completely controlled Robertson for all fifteen minutes. He repeatedly took his opponent down and maintained top position landing effective ground and pound along the way. His cardio looked solid and he didn’t seem to tire as the fight progressed. At thirty seven years old, it might be too late for him to make a serious run at 170 lbs but he should provide some interesting fights in the division. Robertson might be on his way back out of the UFC after his second consecutive loss. He was brought in as a late replacement for Jon Fitch and didn’t do anything to earn another opportunity.

Francis Carmont vs. Karlos Vemola

The third fight of the night marked the arrival of Francis Carmont as a factor in the middleweight division. Carmont has been competing in MMA since 2004 but is just now showing signs of fulfilling his potential. He has always been a huge middleweight and looked significantly larger than Vemola who is one of the bigger fighters at 185 lbs. He looked good in the first round taking advantage of Vemola’s guillotine attempts to gain top position. He locked on to an Americana and was close to finishing but Vemola managed to survive. He started the second round by landing a big front kick. After a scramble, Carmont brought Vemola to the mat in the crucifix position and transitioned quickly into a rear naked choke to earn the finish. Carmont is likely to face a significant step up in competition as he is already thirty years old. If he is ever going to make a serious run in the UFC, this is the moment in his career to make it happen. He has always had the requisite athleticism but now he seems to be putting together the kind of well-rounded game that could make him a legitimate contender. Vemola took a step in the opposite direction and will need to improve if he wants to be a threat in the UFC. He is explosive but showed some questionable decision making and didn’t seem to be executing any sort of gameplan. It takes more than athleticism to compete in the UFC and he needs to improve in his approach if he hopes to take advantage of his raw ability.

T.J. Dillashaw vs. Vaughan Lee

What looked to be a mismatch on paper proved also to be a mismatch in the octagon. Lee came out looking to finish the fight with every strike he threw but Dillashaw evaded easily and landed a few strikes of his own. He then landed a takedown off of a Vaughan kick and moved to top position. Lee gave his back to stand up and Dillashaw took advantage climbing on and sinking in both hooks. From there, he quickly slipped his arm under Lee’s neck and finished the fight with a rear naked choke. For Dillashaw, this was exactly the performance he needed and his stock is rising quickly at bantamweight. Training at Team Alpha Male ensures that he will continue to improve rapidly so look for him to become a factor at 135 lbs. A loss like this and a record of 12-8 likely puts Lee on the brink of leaving the UFC. His upset of Norifumi Yamamoto in his UFC debut might earn him one more chance in the octagon but I can’t see him lasting beyond that.

Anthony Njokuani vs. Rafael Dos Anjos

In the first fight of the night, Rafael Dos Anjos dominated Anthony Njokuani on his way to a unanimous decision. Dos Anjos dropped Njokuani with a left to establish control early in the first round and was never seriously threatened at any point in the fight. After the knockdown, he scored several takedowns in succession showing greatly improved wrestling. He matched that wrestling improvement with an improvement in striking proving to be at least the equal of Njokuani who is one of the best strikers in the division. After the first round, Njokuani told his corner that he had broken his right hand. Assessing the impact of an injury mid-fight is difficult but even with a full arsenal of weapons, Njokuani likely would not have been able to defeat Dos Anjos. The second and third rounds followed the same script as the first with Dos Anjos holding his own on the feet and dominating the wrestling and grappling exchanges. If Dos Anjos continues to improve the way he has in his past few fights, he will be a serious threat in the lightweight division. He already has some of the best jiu-jitsu at 155 lbs and the addition of a serious wrestling and striking game makes him a contender. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Njokuani seems to be stuck. His striking is impressive but he just doesn’t have the wrestling or grappling to compete at a high level. He can still put on exciting fights when matched up with strikers but doesn’t seem to be a serious threat in the absurdly deep UFC lightweight division.

UFC on Fuel 4: Chris Weidman Should Not Take on Anderson Silva Just Yet

It’s Thursday morning, just hours since UFC on Fuel 4 ended. Chris Weidman has barely had time to remove his hand-wraps, yet in the minds of those who witnessed tonight’s masterpiece of violence, he is already being matched up with Anderson…

It’s Thursday morning, just hours since UFC on Fuel 4 ended. Chris Weidman has barely had time to remove his hand-wraps, yet in the minds of those who witnessed tonight’s masterpiece of violence, he is already being matched up with Anderson Silva.

And who can blame the armchair Joe Silvas who are clamoring for this match-up? The former All-American wrestler from Hofstra University has just dismantled Mark Munoz in a manner normally reserved for the antagonists from Kimbo Slice’s home movies.

As Chael Sonnen pointed out on the post-fight broadcast, no one manhandles Mark Munoz the way Chris Weidman just did. The fight may be remembered for the brutal ending, due to Josh Rosenthal’s contemptuously late stoppage, as if Munoz had demanded that his wife make him a ‘steak, medium-rare, just the way I like it’.

It should be remembered for what transpired beforehand. Weidman’s ability to out-wrestle, control, and eventually out-strike the ‘Filipino Wrecking Machine’ was, in many ways, a revelation. We knew he was good, but did we know he was this good?

With all that said, the UFC should proceed with caution when it comes to picking Weidman’s next opponent. Equally, the Serra-Longo protege should think carefully before seeking out the pound-for-pound king.

There is always a sense of excitement when a new contender emerges, particularly in a division that desperately needs some fresh faces. No one is especially giddy at the prospect of Anderson Silva taking on Michael Bisping or Brian Stann, so the Weidman bandwagon is certainly understandable.

However, it is easy to forget that the 28-year-old New Yorker is still a relative novice, with only nine fights on his record. Is it really worth rushing him into a title bout against the greatest fighter this sport has ever seen?

Granted, Weidman is a stylistic nightmare for the Brazilian. But imagine how big this fight could be a year or so down the line if the 28-year-old remains on his current trajectory, and the UFC takes the time to build up his profile.

In the same way that Jon Jones walked through ‘Shogun’ Rua, Weidman-Silva may end up being another passing of the torch. Such an encounter is more sensible in the long run. After all, why risk stalling the progress of a potential star simply for short-term gains?

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UFC on Fuel TV 4 Results: Memorable Moments from Munoz vs. Weidman

Just days from arguably the biggest mixed martial arts fight ever, the UFC was back at it on Wednesday evening for UFC on FUEL TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman. Two top-10 middleweights took center stage for the main event as Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman b…

Just days from arguably the biggest mixed martial arts fight ever, the UFC was back at it on Wednesday evening for UFC on FUEL TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman. 

Two top-10 middleweights took center stage for the main event as Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman battled it out for the potential right of being the next challenger to UFC 185-pound champion Anderson Silva. 

There was a very decisive winner in a very historic moment for that fighter’s career. 

But that was just one of the things that this fight card will be remembered for.

Let’s take a look back at the most memorable moments from UFC on Fuel TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman in San Jose.

Begin Slideshow

UFC on Fuel TV 4 Results: Does Chris Weidman Deserve a Shot at Anderson Silva?

Mark Munoz was the fighter coming into the UFC on Fuel 4 event talking about a title shot.It would be Chris Weidman who left the arena with all the bargaining chips in his pocket.Weidman came out and controlled Munoz from bell to bell, utilizing his wr…

Mark Munoz was the fighter coming into the UFC on Fuel 4 event talking about a title shot.

It would be Chris Weidman who left the arena with all the bargaining chips in his pocket.

Weidman came out and controlled Munoz from bell to bell, utilizing his wrestling, jiu-jitsu and, finally, his striking to end the fight. Munoz couldn’t offer any offense as Weidman seemed to be one step ahead of him all night.

Following the fight, Weidman made a request to fight Anderson Silva in his next contest and that may very well be a real possibility for the undefeated fighter.

As impressive as Weidman’s performance was, fans should let their initial reaction to it cool a bit before talking about Weidman facing Silva. To me, Weidman needs another win against a top guy to solidify himself as a title contender.

Everyone, myself included, was shocked at how easily Weidman dispatched Munoz, but let’s remember that Munoz was coming off a lengthy layoff from elbow surgery.

Prior to that Weidman had an ugly win over former title contender Demian Maia. The performance was undoubtedly due to Weidman taking the fight on late notice and cutting quite a lot of weight in a short period of time.

Also, despite where Maia ranked in the division at the time, let’s consider the fact that he now competes at welterweight.

Weidman certainly has made an impression on fans of late as he seemingly gets better each time he steps into the Octagon, but I believe fans need to step on the brake when talking about him matching up against Silva.

A few names like Chael Sonnen and Alan Belcher have been thrown around as possible opponents for Weidman if it isn’t a title fight. I like both of those matchups better than throwing him to the wolves against Silva.

The win over Munoz resembles Jon Jones’ fights against Brandon Vera and Vladimir Matyushenko. The UFC light heavyweight champion used the free TV platform to announce his arrival to title-contender status much in the same way that Weidman did tonight.

The fan response may be strong in calling for him to step into a title fight, but hopefully the UFC utilizes the same method to build up Weidman, another future star. It’s obvious he has all the tools to become a superstar fighter but needs another high-profile victory to cement his place as the top contender.

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Chris Weidman Went Donkey Kong on Mark Munoz’ Head, Give Him Anderson Silva

About an hour ago I was writing that Chris Weidman was too green for a title shot just yet.Well, I’m putting my foot in my mouth after his Round 2 technical knockout over veteran Mark Munoz tonight. Weidman should be able to bring it against current mi…

About an hour ago I was writing that Chris Weidman was too green for a title shot just yet.

Well, I’m putting my foot in my mouth after his Round 2 technical knockout over veteran Mark Munoz tonight. Weidman should be able to bring it against current middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

At 5-0 in the UFC and 9-0 overall, Weidman is still very young in his career. Despite his young career, he looks like a veteran. With the win tonight, and his unanimous decision victory over Demian Maia on just 11 days’ notice with over thirty pounds to cut, he’s a clear cut contender in the division.

Munoz is no joke. Many had him getting a title shot if he beat Weidman tonight and fans were expecting a competitive fight. Instead, Weidman took down Munoz early in Round 1 and remained in dominant positions until the horn all the while attempting submission after submission.

Round 2 started off the same with Weidman nabbing the takedown. But Munoz, for better or for worse, was able to get back to his feet. Shortly after, Weidman landed a Jon Jones like elbow that spelled the beginning of the end for Munoz.

By the way, the referee let the fight go on way too long, and Munoz ate 8 or 9 unnecessary shots before the fight was called. Not the kind of image the UFC wants to put out there.

Anderson Silva—a living legend—will go down as the greatest of all time, but if there is one thing we know about the Brazilian it’s that he’s susceptible to wrestling as evidenced in his fights with Chael Sonnen, Dan Henderson and Travis Lutter.

Weidman obviously has top notch wrestling in the middleweight division, but his training with Serra-Longo fight team has turned him into a very competent striker and an excellent grappler with some dangerous submissions.

His well-rounded game—which was on full display tonight—separates him from Anderson’s former challengers. Sonnen is an excellent wrestler and fully controlled Silva in 6 of 7 rounds of fighting, but he simply doesn’t have the submission game or punching power to get the finish. That’s why Silva was able to beat him on two occasions. Against a guy like Weidman, Silva wouldn’t be able to relax on the bottom and wait until the next round or he’d risk being submitted or pounded out.

Up until tonight, I was talking about guys like Hector Lombard, Mamed Khalidov, Weidman and Francis Carmont as being the tougher fights for Silva later on. I still believe this, the difference being that Weidman is a tough fight for Silva right now, not later.

Leon Horne enjoys all sports and has a particular interest in MMA; give him a follow on Twitter for more information and keep an eye out for interesting interviews and news, Follow @Leon_Horne

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