A fighter’s most important fight can sometimes be his last, and for an aging fighter, it’s sometimes a fight they just can’t win. It’s a risk that only some are willing to take, and it might be more dangerous for them than anything they have ever had t…
A fighter’s most important fight can sometimes be his last, and for an aging fighter, it’s sometimes a fight they just can’t win. It’s a risk that only some are willing to take, and it might be more dangerous for them than anything they have ever had to deal with when they were younger.
Whether or not they remain successful and retire on top or are eagerly risking their legendary status to achieve some form of glory that they once had, there is nothing that stops time from finally catching up to them.
These are five fighters we wish were young, and although they are still fighting among the best, they might not have many fights left. Some may only have one.
Ed Soares, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s manager, has stated on more than one occasion that he doesn’t think Chael Sonnen is worthy of another title shot just yet. Despite giving “The Spider” the fight of his …
Ed Soares, UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s manager, has stated on more than one occasion that he doesn’t think Chael Sonnen is worthy of another title shot just yet.
Despite giving “The Spider” the fight of his life at UFC 117, and defeating Brian Stann in dominant fashion at UFC 136, it is unknown whether or not “Uncle Chael” will be the next challenger for Sonnen’s title.
Soares initially did not sound like he was a big fan of “The Count” when discussing future opponents for Silva in a radio interview.
“I’ll be honest with you: I never even really thought of Bisping too much,” Soares said on Sherdog Radio Network’s Rewind show. “Not that I didn’t respect him as a fighter–I do,” Soares said.
“It was just that it didn’t cross my mind because there’s so many things happening all the time. People talk about Chael and Brian Stann, and sometimes people are focused on the TUF show,” he added.
Nevertheless, Soares though Bisping, who is riding a three-fight win streak, could square off in the Octagon with Silva one day.
He gave the odds of the Silva vs. St-Pierre super fight the same odds, remaining fairly vague with his assessment of the situation.
“But I think Bisping could be a good opportunity. GSP (Georges St-Pierre) could be a good opportunity. There’s a lot of great opportunities.”
The Count’s next fight will be opposite Jason “Mayhem” Miller at The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale on December 3.
Mayhem of course coach’s opposite Bisping on this season’s TUF.
Meanwhile, GSP, almost unanimously considered the number two pound-for-pound fighter in the world behind Silva, has won nine fights in a row with six successful title defenses (compared to Silva’s 15 wins and 9 defenses respectively, both UFC records).
As he prepares Dan Henderson for his upcoming bout with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139, boxing coach Gustavo Pugliese said he is confident that the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion will earn a knockout victory over Rua, who is renowned f…
As he prepares Dan Henderson for his upcoming bout with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139, boxing coach Gustavo Pugliese said he is confident that the former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion will earn a knockout victory over Rua, who is renowned for his outstanding chin.
Pugliese spoke with TATAME.com and discussed the upcoming matchup between Henderson and Rua. While analyzing the Brazilian’s skills, Pugliese said his effective striking style does show signs of weakness.
“On the tapes of Shogun’s last fights I noticed some flaws on his Boxing game,” Pugliese said.
“He only moves forward and tries to find the right angle ti punch his opponents. Since he’s not much technical, he walks a lot. Fighting a guy like Henderson, who knows when to counterattack, it’ll be dangerous for Shogun.”
Henderson is coming into the UFC after arguably putting on one of the most impressive career performances following his win over Fedor Emelianenko earlier this year. The win was Henderson’s third knockout in his last four bouts.
It allowed Henderson to enter his third stint with the UFC, setting up a bout with potential title implications surrounding it.
While he is aware of Rua’s knockout ability, Pugliese said he will have Henderson prepared for the five-round bout and look to neutralize his strengths and become more versatile with his offense.
“It ain’t no secret the way Henderson finishes his fights, so my job, along with (Daniel) Woirin, will be to prepare him correctly to use his strongest weapon, his right hand,” he said.
“Obviously, Dan will use his Wrestling when on the clinch, it’ll be important to use different weapons to get Shogun tired.”
With 13 of his 28 professional victories coming by some form of knockout, it’s no secret what one can expect from Dan Henderson when he steps into the cage. In fact, he’s finished his last three opponents via stoppage, and according to his striking coach Gustavo Pugliese, he’ll be looking to make it four straight when he meets Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on November 19th…
With 13 of his 28 professional victories coming by some form of knockout, it’s no secret what one can expect from Dan Henderson when he steps into the cage. In fact, he’s finished his last three opponents via stoppage, and according to his striking coach Gustavo Pugliese, he’ll be looking to make it four straight when he meets Mauricio “Shogun” Rua on November 19th…
Filed under: UFCYou can’t blame Anderson Silva for not wanting to get bossed around by Chael Sonnen. Here’s the UFC middleweight champ, the consensus pound-for-pound king of MMA, and he has to sit next to Charles Barkley in Houston and listen to a guy …
You can’t blame Anderson Silva for not wanting to get bossed around by Chael Sonnen. Here’s the UFC middleweight champ, the consensus pound-for-pound king of MMA, and he has to sit next to Charles Barkley in Houston and listen to a guy he beat a year ago stand in the cage and try to map out his future.
Super Bowl weekend. Las Vegas, Nevada. Loser leaves the division and possibly the UFC “forever.” That makes for a great pre-fight promo piece, but it must have come as a surprise to the champ, who had yet to agree to any of it.
That’s why it’s somewhat understandable for Silva’s manager, Ed Soares, to insist on a recent episode of Inside MMA that Sonnen should “get to the back of the line” if he wants a crack at the belt.
The trouble is the line isn’t quite as long as he seems to think. The Silva camp can argue with the UFC over dates and locations, but there’s really only one dance partner that makes any sense right now, and it’s Sonnen.
One can see how it might seem frustrating to Silva. He beats Sonnen in August of 2010, Sonnen then gets put on the shelf following the dual headache of testosterone use issues and money laundering charges. When he comes back, Sonnen wins exactly one fight before demanding a title shot on his own personal timetable and according to his own specific pro wrestling terms. Who does this guy think he is?
But that’s an easy question to answer. Sonnen happens to be one of the only middleweights left who can sell a fight against Silva, and he knows it. That’s why he can afford to call his shots, at least to a degree.
Silva (or Soares) might not like it, but what other options are there? Should he get past Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Dan Henderson has said he’ll cut down to middleweight for a rematch with Silva. Then again, he also said he’ll only cut down for a fight with Silva, which makes you wonder what would happen if he managed to beat the 185-pound champ.
Henderson is 41 years old, and, from the sound of it, not all that excited about losing a bunch of weight every three or four months at this point in his life. Does the UFC really want a middleweight champ who doesn’t want to be a middleweight?
Even with the potential infusion of Strikeforce fighters, the landscape at 185 pounds isn’t exactly overflowing with attractive contenders. Luke Rockhold, Tim Kennedy, even the winner of the Michael Bisping-Jason Miller fight — there’s no logical contender who poses enough of a threat to be interesting to fans right away.
Some of that is Silva’s fault. It’s hard to find a compelling fight for him when he has so thoroughly dismantled every challenger. That is, every challenger except for the one who took him five rounds deep before one careless mistake cost him the fight.
Ideally, the case for a rematch should be based on more than simply the potential to make it a close fight, but this is Silva we’re talking about. Finding him a close fight is a battle in itself. Finding him one with an opponent who can also do all the hype work that the champ either can’t or won’t is like finding the winning lottery ticket in among the dirty laundry. The UFC would have to be crazy not to cash in on this find while it can.
If Silva doesn’t want to fight as soon as Super Bowl weekend, whether it’s because his shoulder is still bothering him or because he simply wants more time to prepare, that’s the champion’s prerogative. He should get more say in choosing the date, just like he should feel free to ignore Sonnen’s loser-leaves-town proposition altogether.
But if he’s waiting around for a better challenger or a bigger fight, he’s going to be waiting a long time. At 36 years old, and with the clock likely ticking on his MMA career, now’s the time to fight the big fights, the ones people will remember him for long after he’s retired.
The first fight with Sonnen was one of those. Whether the second fight can live up to those expectations or not, he’s really got no choice but to take it and find out. And besides, it might be his only hope of finally shutting Sonnen up for good.
It seems strange somehow to begin a discussion about the UFC light heavyweight championship without mentioning the names Jon Jones, Rashad Evans or even, in light of recent news, Lyoto Machida.Yes, there are a great many people “in the mix,” (to use Da…
It seems strange somehow to begin a discussion about the UFC light heavyweight championship without mentioning the names Jon Jones, Rashad Evans or even, in light of recent news, Lyoto Machida.
Yes, there are a great many people “in the mix,” (to use Dana-speak), for the UFC’s marquee strap.
Amid the seemingly endless Jones/Evans “will they fight, won’t they fight” narrative and the recent announcement that Machida will be getting the next shot (so apparently it’s “they won’t fight…yet”), the casual fan would be forgiven for forgetting “Shogun” Rua and Dan Henderson are even fighting, let alone in striking distance of a title shot themselves.
A month before Machida and Jones square off in Toronto, these two Pride legends will face each other in the main event of UFC 139 in San Jose. It’s the kind of matchup that got fans excited when it was first announced.
Both men are known knockout artists with a litany of scalps between them. Both men are fan favorites with long histories in the sport. Each is a former champion and the definition of world class.
But before the Machida vs. Jones announcement, the general consensus regarding this fight was that the winner would be getting the next title shot.
Now it’s not so certain.
Dan Henderson certainly hopes this fight launches him into a title situation. That’s the fight he originally wanted, after all, as the reigning Strikeforce LHW champion.
It’s the fight that seemed somewhat close to happening before the aforementioned Jones vs. Evans drama managed to (once again) hold up the top of the division.
Henderson’s campaign for a title shot is not without merit. After all, other Strikeforce champions have been brought over and given a title shot based solely on the Strikeforce belt over their shoulders.
Two Strikeforce champions received instant title shots against GSP immediately upon crossing over. OK, Jake had to fight Martin Kampmann, but after beating Hendo that was viewed by many as a gimme fight.
Of course, one of said champions blows it all by failing to show up to a press conference, while the other tries to skewer Georges’ face like he was making an eyeball thumb-kabob. But the principal remains the same.
Then there’s Alistair Overeem, the Strikeforce heavyweight champ who would probably have gotten a title shot in his UFC debut if it weren’t for the fact that Overeem vs. Dos Santos is the fight the UFC chose to go with for their FOX debut.
As it is, a marquee matchup with top PPV draw Brock Lesnar may be even more beneficial to The Reem’s career.
Then there’s talk that Strikeforce LW champ Gilbert Melendez might get an instant title shot if (when) he crosses over to the UFC. Plus there are all the rumors surrounding a potential Dominick Cruz vs. Christiane “Cyborg” Santos superfight.
OK, I just made that up. But tell me that wouldn’t be a little bit fun. And if Dominick keeps running through challengers at 135 lbs., who else are they going to throw in there with him? Answer: Kenny Florian with one leg cut off.
So Henderson’s got a case for a title shot, but what about “Shogun?” Let’s not forget that he was the reigning champion only a few months before Jon Jones ascended to the top of the division and exploded everyone’s faces.
Jones made Rua look awfully bad when he took the title from him back in March. But was it really a bad enough beating to keep him from another title shot, as it would if it happened in another division?
I say no. Plus if Jones should run through Machida and Evans, then we’re looking at a suddenly shallow list of light heavyweight title contenders. “Shogun” could definitely receive another shot in that situation.
Will the winner of Rua vs. Hendo being getting a title shot? Eventually, yes. With Machida vs. Jones already booked and Evans waiting seemingly since Biblical times for his title shot, there’s really no argument for Hendo or “Shogun” to cut in line with a win.
Still, a win here guarantees that the winner will probably be getting a title shot at some point. In today’s UFC LHW division, that’s about as much certainty as you’re going to get.
Unless, of course Evans gets injured again—or the invincible Jones should happen to lose. Either situation could see the winner of Rua vs. Henderson get fast-tracked to a title shot ASAP.
Ed Soares, UFC middleweight champion 
You can’t blame