Tag: Chris Weidman

On This Day in MMA History…


(Since this sculpture seemed to be a major talking point…)

Minoru Suzuki was born 43 years ago.

Why he matters: One of the co-founders of Pancrase — the pre-cursor to the UFC — Suzuki was of the best Japanese submission specialists of his era. He holds wins over Ken Shamrock, Vernon White, Matt Hume and Guy Mezger and Maurice Smith. A former Olympic alternate freestyle wrestler for Japan and former Japanese freestyle wrestling national champion, Suzuki retired from MMA competition in 2002 with a record of 27-20 to focus on professional wrestling, in which he is still active today.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/MrDartzero)

Many MMA luminaries from Bas Rutten and Ken Shamrock to Josh Barnett count Suzuki as one of THE best catch wrestlers the sport has ever known.

(Video courtesy of YouTube/scientificwrestling)


(Since this sculpture seemed to be a major talking point…)

Minoru Suzuki was born 43 years ago.

Why he matters: One of the co-founders of Pancrase — the pre-cursor to the UFC — Suzuki was of the best Japanese submission specialists of his era. He holds wins over Ken Shamrock, Vernon White, Matt Hume and Guy Mezger and Maurice Smith. A former Olympic alternate freestyle wrestler for Japan and former Japanese freestyle wrestling national champion, Suzuki retired from MMA competition in 2002 with a record of 27-20 to focus on professional wrestling, in which he is still active today.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/MrDartzero)

Many MMA luminaries from Bas Rutten and Ken Shamrock to Josh Barnett count Suzuki as one of THE best catch wrestlers the sport has ever known.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/scientificwrestling)

Kuniyoshi Hironaka was born 34 years ago.

Why he matters: Besides a win over Nick Diaz, and a stint as the Cage Force lightweight champion, Hironaka’s claim to fame could be that he is the fighter who created Shinya Aoki’s appetite for arm-breaking.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/dannykeat)

In a 2007 jiu-jitsu competition, Aoki caught Hironaka in an armbar, but his opponent refused to tap out. Although Aoki was much more sportsmanlike and reserved than he would be when he duplicated the feat against Mizuto Hirota at K-1 Dynamite! two years later, the incident seemed didn’t seem to bother “Tobikan Judan” in the least. Incidentally, the pair fought a year prior to the jiu-jitsu match under the Shooto banner, with Aoki winning via TKO due to cut.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/belfastbootboy)

Andrei Semenov was born 34 years ago.

Why he matters: Semenov is one of the best fighters who never really got a fair shake in the UFC. Had he been given one, he may have become a household name like Chuck Liddell or Tito Ortiz, rather than a fighter most non-hardcore MMA fans have never heard about.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/Damienhis)

His 30-9-2 record includes wins over Amar Suloev, Ricardo Almeida, Martin Kampmann and Martijn de Jong, as well as a pair of draws with Mike Pyle and Denis Kang. After winning his UFC debut against Almeida, he lost to Ivan Salaverry in his second (and last) fight in the Octagon and was dropped by Zuffa. Folowing a three-year hiatus from the sport, Semenov returned to competition in April of this year to beat Luigi Fioravanti at M-1 Chalenge in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Chris Weidman was born 27 years ago.

Why he matters: Being an undefeated fighter in MMA is like being a messageboard commenter with actual MMA credentials — it’s a rarity. A product of Matt Serra’s gym in New York, Weidman is 6-0 in the sport and 2-0 in his UFC career. He defeated veteran Alessio Sakara by unanimous decision at UFC Live 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann in March and followed up that impressive performance three months later in Vancouver at UFC 131 with a first-round submission win over Jesse Bongfeldt.

Bellator 22 happened one year ago.

Why it mattered: Ben Askren won Bellator’s Season 2 Welterweight Tournament by defeating veteran Dan Hornbuckle by unanimous decision at the event. He would go on to win the Bellator strap from Lyman Good in his subsequent title shot at Bellator 33.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/BellatorMMA)

UFC 131 “Dos Santos vs. Carwin” Bonuses Announced

“Hands of Stone”? Yup, that sounds about right. (Pic: UFC.com)

There is so much to love about the UFC’s Fight Night Bonuses. Often times one of these rewards can double, triple, or even quadruple a fighter’s take home pay for the evening. They also serve as bounties for action, encouraging the knockouts, submissions, and exciting fights that we all enjoy. But I love them best for another reason altogether. They give Dana White the opportunity to do what he does best: wield his godlike power with impunity. That sword has two edges of course, one of which has cut us frequently, but when dolling out these bonuses we get to see the best of Dana White. There’s Dana the Vindictive, who snubbed Mir’s poor performance against Cro Cop by denying the night’s only KO a bonus; Dana the Fight Fan, who loves action packed bouts so much that sometimes he can’t bring himself to award only one “Fight of the Night” bonus; and Dana the Merciful, who sets right the grave injustices cast down from the judges table. It was this last Dana who reared his head last night, giving an “unofficial” bonus to Michihiro Omigawa, who lost a unanimous decision to Darren Elkins in the prelims. White felt that Omigawa clearly deserved the victory and awarded him his win bonus for his performance. This fight, particularly one judge scoring it 30-27 for Elkins, is sure to add more fuel to the firestorm that is MMA judging. And now, on to the $70k bonuses…

“Hands of Stone”? Yup, that sounds about right.  (Pic: UFC.com)

There is so much to love about the UFC’s Fight Night Bonuses. Often times one of these rewards can double, triple, or even quadruple a fighter’s take home pay for the evening. They also serve as bounties for action, encouraging the knockouts, submissions, and exciting fights that we all enjoy. But I love them best for another reason altogether. They give Dana White the opportunity to do what he does best: wield his godlike power with impunity. That sword has two edges of course, one of which has cut us frequently, but when dolling out these bonuses we get to see the best of Dana White. There’s Dana the Vindictive, who snubbed Mir’s poor performance against Cro Cop by denying the night’s only KO a bonus; Dana the Fight Fan, who loves action packed bouts so much that sometimes he can’t bring himself to award only one “Fight of the Night” bonus; and Dana the Merciful, who sets right the grave injustices cast down from the judges table. It was this last Dana who reared his head last night, giving an “unofficial” bonus to Michihiro Omigawa, who lost a unanimous decision to Darren Elkins in the prelims. White felt that Omigawa clearly deserved the victory and awarded him his win bonus for his performance. This fight, particularly one judge scoring it 30-27 for Elkins, is sure to add more fuel to the firestorm that is MMA judging. And now, on to the $70k bonuses…

Knock Out of the Night: Sam Stout picked up some spending cash and a highlight clip for the ages with his first-round knock out of Yves Edwards. The end came with both men exchanging punches; Edwards connected first with a decent right hook, but Stout landed a big left to the jaw that folded Yves forwarded as he slowly careened to the canvas. No follow up was needed, as the Thug Jitsu master was out cold.

Submission of the Night: Matt Serra student Chris Weidman extended his record to a perfect 6-0 with his first round submission over Jesse Bongfeldt. Weidman looked fluid on the ground as he transitioned around Bongfeldt with great control, but the end would come via the rare standing guillotine with only six seconds left in the first round.

Fight of the Night: Dave Herman and Jon Olav Einemo paired up in a back-and-forth heavyweight tilt that saw both men in trouble on more than one occasion. Herman battered Einemo with knees to drop him late in the second round and draw the TKO stoppage. The five years spent at Golden Glory didn’t show in Einemo’s stand-up. It was good news for him, though, as he would have lost to Carwin much faster and not picked up the additional $70k.

Matt Serra Talks About Getting Rid of the ‘Preggo Pounds’

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting caught up with former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra to talk about when he’ll fight next, his student Chris Weidman‘s win at UFC 131, a new addition to his family and much more.

 

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting caught up with former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra to talk about when he’ll fight next, his student Chris Weidman‘s win at UFC 131, a new addition to his family and much more.

 

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Chris Weidman Visualized Winning by Submission

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting caught up with Chris Weidman after his win over Jesse Bongfeldt at UFC 131. Weidman talked about how he set up his guillotine submission win, his progress in the standup fighting department and more.

 

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VANCOUVER, British Columbia — MMA Fighting caught up with Chris Weidman after his win over Jesse Bongfeldt at UFC 131. Weidman talked about how he set up his guillotine submission win, his progress in the standup fighting department and more.

 

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Chris Weidman Steps in to Face Jesse Bongfeldt at UFC 131

Filed under: UFC, NewsMiddleweight prospect Chris Weidman and Jesse Bongfeldt have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 131 after Bongfeldt’s original opponent, Court McGee, pulled out of the fight, MMA Fighting has learned from sources close to the event.

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Middleweight prospect Chris Weidman and Jesse Bongfeldt have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 131 after Bongfeldt’s original opponent, Court McGee, pulled out of the fight, MMA Fighting has learned from sources close to the event.

Both fighters have agreed to the fight as of Tuesday, although contracts have yet to be signed.

MMA Junkie reported late Monday evening that McGee was forced to pull out of the fight due to a knee injury.

Top Prospect Chris Weidman Battled Through Broken Rib to Win UFC Debut

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveJust four fights into his pro career, Chris Weidman got the call that nearly every mixed martial arts fighter hopes for: a chance to fight in the UFC. At the time, though, Weidman happened to be hurt, still recoverin…

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Chris WeidmanJust four fights into his pro career, Chris Weidman got the call that nearly every mixed martial arts fighter hopes for: a chance to fight in the UFC. At the time, though, Weidman happened to be hurt, still recovering from a fractured rib. The fight — a chance to perform on the main card against veteran Alessio Sakara — would be in just 18 days.

Needless to say, it wasn’t the best of timing, particularly for a highly touted athlete who many expected to wow onlookers from the beginning. In fact, on a recent edition of The MMA Hour, Weidman told Ariel Helwani that he was “in my underwear and fat” when the call came in.

“It definitely wasn’t the opportunity I imagined,” he said. “I always saw myself getting enough fights that the UFC wanted to have me, I could fight on undercards and work my way up.”

With a golden ticket dangling, though, turning down the fight seemed impossible. Weidman accepted the invitation, prayed for the best regarding his rib, then went out and bloodied Sakara in a unanimous decision win during last week’s UFC on Versus 3 event.