Get used to seeing “The Great” on Cagepotato. Siyar Bahadurzada made UFC fans take notice with his impressive Knockout of the Night winning debut against the always game Paulo Thiago, pocketing a cool $50k for the quick performance. Get used to not only seeing more of The Great’s fights, but also us referring to him as The Great as often as possible. Bahadurzada is a long name to type.
On a card stacked with submission finishes, Submission of the Night was a highly competitive bonus that ended up going to John Maguire for his beautiful armbar over DaMarques Johnson. Johnson attempted to put away Maguire with a kimura, but as Johnson overcommitted, Maguire countered with the fight ending armbar. Maguire improves to 18-3, and has now won seven straight fights.
Get used to seeing “The Great” on Cagepotato. Siyar Bahadurzada made UFC fans take notice with his impressive Knockout of the Night winning debut against the always game Paulo Thiago, pocketing a cool $50k for the quick performance. Get used to not only seeing more of The Great’s fights, but also us referring to him as The Great as often as possible. Bahadurzada is a long name to type.
On a card stacked with submission finishes, Submission of the Night was a highly competitive bonus that ended up going to John Maguire for his beautiful armbar over DaMarques Johnson. Johnson attempted to put away Maguire with a kimura, but as Johnson overcommitted, Maguire countered with the fight ending armbar. Maguire improves to 18-3, and has now won seven straight fights.
One final note, Fight of the Night honors went to Brad Pickett and Damacio Page for their back-and-forth tilt that kicked off the main card. Page succumbed to a second round rear-naked choke, marking his third straight loss under Zuffa. While Fight of the Night honors may save him from being cut from the UFC, six out of seven of Page’s career losses have come by submission. Page needs to stop being submitted if he wants to get back into the limelight at bantamweight. Meanwhile, Pickett has picked up his second Fight of the Night bonus in as many UFC bouts. His debut with the organization saw him lose to Renan Barao by first round rear-naked choke at UFC 138.
The UFC’s first event in Sweden has just come to a close, and what a night of fight it was!The Swedish fans were treated to a finish-heavy card, with just four of 12 fights going the distance.Fighters have learned well by now that if they put on an exc…
The UFC’s first event in Sweden has just come to a close, and what a night of fight it was!
The Swedish fans were treated to a finish-heavy card, with just four of 12 fights going the distance.
Fighters have learned well by now that if they put on an exciting fight for the fans, they could leave with more money at the end of the night—and tonight is no exception.
Let’s get down to it. Here are the bonuses for UFC on Fuel TV 2:
Submission of the night: John Macguire
Macguire takes home submission of the night, and rightfully so. He hit a beautiful far-side armbar to tap Damarques Johnson.
It was similar to the fashion in which Matt Hughes once defeated Georges St-Pierre, as Johnson over-comitted to a kimura and Macguire was able to exploit this mistake and win the fight.
Knockout of the night: Siyar Bahadurzada
Bahadurzada made a big statement in the welterweight division this evening, becoming the first man to ever finish Paulo Thiago.
Thiago was charging forward and Bahadurzada used that momentum to his advantage, landing a beautiful counter punch and putting his opponent to sleep.
Fight of the Night: Brad Pickett vs. Damacio Page
Pickett and Page will both leave Sweden with an extra $50k as a reward for the two-round war they put on for the fans.
It was a fast-paced fight, with both fighters scoring takedowns and landing some big shots.
In the end, Pickett proved to be the better fighter, rocking Page on the feet and eventually sinking in a rear-naked choke and walking away with a submission victory.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
Bantamweight standout Brad Pickett kept his hopes of entering the title picture alive, defeating the always-tough Damacio Page via rear-naked choke in the second round.Damacio started the fight well, pushing the pace and landing a solid up-kick, but ev…
Bantamweight standout Brad Pickett kept his hopes of entering the title picture alive, defeating the always-tough Damacio Page via rear-naked choke in the second round.
Damacio started the fight well, pushing the pace and landing a solid up-kick, but eventually faded as Picket was able to take control with his grappling.
As the fight progressed, Pickett was able to take Page down at will and was also able to drop Page standing with a vicious left-hook.
Eventually, Pickett became too much for Page, and he was able to slip in the choke.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
The knockdown and the finish.
The punch that dropped Page was a well-timed left hook, and it was likely the biggest “OH SHIT” of the fight.
As for the choke, there wasn’t much special about it, but the fans always remember a finish.
What we learned about Brad Pickett:
Not much we didn’t already know.
He’s a very well-rounded fighter, and he’s dangerous in all areas. His skills aren’t developed enough to take on the elite of the division, but against lesser fighters, he has the tools to shine.
What we learned about Damacio Page:
Also, not much that we didn’t already know.
He’s aggressive and has heart but isn’t technically good enough in any one area to take out high-level opponents.
Page will likely never be any more than a gatekeeper for the bantamweight division.
What’s next for Brad Pickett:
The loser of Miguel Torres and Michael McDonald.
What’s next for Damacio Page:
Eddie Wineland.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
Very rarely does a fighter see himself remain in the UFC after suffering three consecutive losses.Therefore, it’s do-or-die for Damacio Page.Page (12-6), who’s coming off two straight defeats to Demetrious Johnson and Brian Bowles, will put it all on t…
Very rarely does a fighter see himself remain in the UFC after suffering three consecutive losses.
Page (12-6), who’s coming off two straight defeats to Demetrious Johnson and Brian Bowles, will put it all on the line when action begins on April 14th at UFC on Fuel II.
“My back is against the wall right now,” Page told Bleacher Report. “I have nothing to lose right now.”
“I have lost two fights in a row and hardly anyone stays in the UFC after losing three straight,” said Page. “Only a select few have made it past three straight losses.”
With his future in jeopardy, Page isn’t about to let his lifelong dream come to an end.
A mixed martial artist was someone Page aspired to be growing up from a very young age.
In order to focus his attention on his upcoming bout against Brad Pickett (20-6), Page often recalls the long road which he traveled to get to where he is today.
“It was apart of growing up for me. It was in my blood to fight. I started wresting in high school and then again in college. I love the physical aspect of the sport. You go out there and wrestle someone and it’s the same thing when you fight someone,” said Page. “It’s one-on-one only more intense.”
“It’s for guys to get to their peak performances and to fight each other,” said Page. “What more could you want than that?”
Page will do everything and more to capture his win since October of 2009, but it won’t come without a price.
His opponent, Pickett, is also on a fast track to the top of the bantamweight division, having won 10 of his last 12 fights.
In order for Page to break his losing streak, he’ll need to dictate the pace of the fight early and often.
“I think my speed will be the biggest factor in this fight. I think I’m faster and more explosive. I think that’s the biggest key. I think he’s a tough individual. He brings problems for anyone at 135. He’s a great fight for anyone,” said Page. “He’s going to give you problems the whole way.”
“I’m focused on me in general. As long as I do me I’ll be fine. I went back to the drawing board. I’m done with the injuries that I had over the past two years. I’m finally feeling 100 percent. I just did me for this whole camp,” said Page. “As long as I do what I do, I should come out with the ‘W’.”
If Page is anything like the Page we’ve seen in the past, viewers and those in attendance can expect an early finish and a series of fireworks from the get-go.
However, it’s been two-and-a-half years since we last saw a Page finish.
And a rule of thumb for all fighters: if you can’t finish, make sure you’ve done enough to win the judge’s scorecards.
“If it’s going to the judge’s scorecards, I’ll leave no doubt in their minds. I’m going to win. I don’t know if he wants to put on a show for the fans or what he wants do. I know that I want to win,” said Page. “If I go to the judges I’m going to convince them that I won the fight.”
“If it’s a short night then awesome. That means I can get ready for my next fight. I think either way I’ll have my hand raised,” said Page.
Page recognizes the depth of the 135-pound weight class but believes anyone has the opportunity to become the champion.
However, before Page can focus on what’s ahead, he’ll need to defeat an extremely dangerous opponent in Pickett.
“I think everyone has their time to shine and I think this is my time.”
For additional information, follow Garrett Derr on Twitter.
Source: MMA Weekly Damacio Page was disappointed to pull out of his UFC 135 bout against Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto due to a neck injury incurred in training. But he is thankful for his UFC medical.
Damacio Page was disappointed to pull out of his UFC 135 bout against Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto due to a neck injury incurred in training. But he is thankful for his UFC medical insurance provided to the promotion’s stable of fighters, earlier this year. Page’s manager, Jahani Curl says that surgery is necessary for the injury and that without insurance it would have cost the fighter somewhere between $25 to 30 thousand dollars. Page’s recovery time is currently unknown.
To follow his rehab and recovery, check in with MMA Weekly as Damacio Page will be giving bi-weekly blogs on the site.
Filed under: UFCBoth needing to rebound from losses earlier this spring, Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Damacio Page have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 135 in Denver this fall.
The UFC announced the bantamweight fight Monday night, with president Dana …
The UFC announced the bantamweight fight Monday night, with president Dana White calling Yamamoto and Page “two of the most aggressive sluggers” in the 135-pound division.
UFC 135 will take place Sept. 24 at the Pepsi Center in the Colorado capital city of Denver, home to the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and NBA’s Denver Nuggets. UFC vice president of regulatory affairs first confirmed the location to MMA Fighting earlier this year.
Yamamoto (18-4, 1 NC, 0-1 UFC) made his highly anticipated UFC debut in February at UFC 126 against Demetrious Johnson. “Mighty Mouse” took “Kid” down 10 times in the fight and cruised to a 30-27 unanimous decision sweep of the scorecards. It was Yamamoto’s third loss in four fights after starting his career 17-1, mostly in the Japanese Shooto and K-1 promotions.
Yamamoto, one of the most popular fighters in Japanese MMA history, has finished 15 of his 18 victories – 13 by knockout or TKO. He is also the owner of a record 4-second knockout of Kazuyuki Miyata courtesy of a flying knee at K-1: Hero’s 5 in 2006.
Yamamoto was expected to face Chris Cariaso at UFC 130 last month, but he had to pull out of the fight with an injury.
Page (15-6, 0-1 UFC) has lost two straight fights, both by guillotine. In March, at UFC on Versus 3, he lost a rematch to Brian Bowles, who had beaten him at WEC 35 in August 2008. And in one of MMA’s truest oddities, he lost to Bowles by the same method and in the exact same time as their first meeting: a guillotine tapout 3:30 into the first round. Prior to that, in his WEC swan song, Page, like Yamamoto, ran into trouble with Johnson, getting caught with a guillotine in the third round.
Page, like Yamamoto, is a fight finisher. Of his 15 wins, 14 have come by stoppage with eight knockouts and six submissions. By the time UFC 135 rolls around, Page will be looking for his first win in nearly two years, since a rear naked choke win over Will Campuzano at WEC 43 in October 2009.
UFC 135 is expected to feature a light heavyweight title main event between champion Jon Jones, defending his belt for the first time, against former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, who earned the title shot after wins over former champ Lyoto Machida and Matt Hamill. Also on the card, former welterweight champion and UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes will meet former top lightweight contender and TUF 1 middleweight winner Diego Sanchez.
The UFC’s first event in Sweden has just come to a close, and what a night of fight it was!
Both needing to rebound from losses earlier this spring,