Tag: daniel cormier

UFC 167 Fallout: Rashad Evans and the State of the Light Heavyweight Division

There was a lot of chaos in the aftermath of UFC 167. 
Champion Georges St-Pierre lost the fight on the large majority of public scorecards, but won on two of the three that actually mattered. Johny Hendricks watched the welterweight title he prob…

There was a lot of chaos in the aftermath of UFC 167. 

Champion Georges St-Pierre lost the fight on the large majority of public scorecards, but won on two of the three that actually mattered. Johny Hendricks watched the welterweight title he probably earned float back to the welterweight king upon Bruce Buffer’s announcement. If that weren’t enough, the pound-for-pound great skittered his way through a post-fight interview that sounded like a retirement only to have UFC president Dana White toss him under the bus at the post-fight press conference.

With all that insanity it’s easy to lose track of one of the night’s biggest winners and the triumphant return of Rashad Evans. Granted, the former light heavyweight champion put the brakes on a recent rough patch by defeating Dan Henderson at UFC 161 in June, but it was his utter steamrolling of former two-divisional title challenger Chael Sonnen that confirmed his re-arrival back to form.

While the bout was ultimately a short showing and ended well before the conclusion of the opening round, “Suga” has never looked better as he systematically dismantled the “Gangster from West Linn.” There were no wasted movement in Evans’ attack as every inch of his physical output went to getting rid of Sonnen in the early goings. And after putting the Oregon native on his back, he did just that, as Evans took full mount and pounded out the stoppage.

With the victory, Evans has now collected wins in back-to-back showings and reclaims his seat at the table of potential title contenders in the 205-pound division. That said, the current state of the light heavyweight fold is entrenched in a bit of chaos—not UFC 167-type chaos, but chaos nonetheless.

Let’s take a look at the what’s going on in the UFC’s “crown jewel” division.

 

There Is Going to Be a Title Fight at 205 Before 2015

So far, the only thing we know about the title picture in the light heavyweight division is that Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira are going to fight some time.

We originally thought it was going to be at UFC 169 on Feb. 1, but that date was scrapped due to “Bones” needing more time. Then the UFC came out last week to say they were going to dance at UFC 170 on Feb. 22, but apparently that night isn’t going to work either as the promotion announced the fight was a no-go less than 24 hours after making it public.

With Jones and Teixeira tangled up in a title fight that will go down some time in 2014, the race to earn the next title shot will hit a full-on foot race. Yet, while the next championship opportunity is certainly a valuable grab, the path to said opportunity will come with some twists and turns.

The fighter standing in the shortest line is Alexander Gustafsson. After taking Jones to the wire and pushing the pound-for-pound great further than anyone had done in the superstar’s young career, “The Mauler” began to campaign for an immediate rematch. Where a second go ’round with Jones seemed to be the most likely option, the UFC decided to go with the Brazilian knockout artist for the next challenger.

That said, in the aftermath of Jones vs. Gustafsson, UFC president Dana White suggested the 26-year-old Swede would get another shot at the title if he found success in his next fight. Where the promotion originally announced his opponent to be Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, “Lil Nog” pulled what appeared to be one of the year’s most curious moments when he immediately pulled out of the fight with injury.

Following Nogueira’s removal from the bout, White went public with the announcement being premature, nevertheless, it left the recent title challenger without an opponent. That issue was solved in the days that followed as the UFC tapped British slugger Jimi Manuwa to face the Swedish striker, and the two will square off when the promotion returns to London on March 8.

Should Gustafsson hand the “Poster Boy” his first professional loss, a title shot will be his reward. On the other hand, if the Team Alliance fighter comes up short, things are going to get extremely interesting, and the avenue to the throne will be wide open.

 

Someone Is Going to Be the Odd Man Out

Rashad Evans picked up a huge win over Chael Sonnen this past Saturday at UFC 167, and in the process joined a crowded upper tier, all waiting for their chance at a title shot.

While the Blackzilians-trained fighter certainly looked fantastic in drubbing the former title challenger, he now finds himself standing next to two familiar faces in Phil Davis and heavyweight contender turned soon-to-be light heavyweight Daniel Cormier.

Where Evans and Davis shared cage time at UFC on Fox 2 in January of 2012, with the former TUF winner taking the unanimous decision, the relationship between Evans and Cormier is on a different level. The two are good friends and trained together in the early stages of D.C.’s career. Both have had issues when fighting a friend or training partner has come into question and would most likely be the road both would hope to avoid.

Nevertheless, a fight needs to be made. With Evans and Davis having fought less than two years ago, a rematch between the two at this point seems highly unlikely. That would put Davis vs. Cormier as the most likely option and would push Evans out to the side for the time being.

“Mr. Wonderful” is coming off the biggest win—albeit a controversial one—over former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida at UFC 163 in August. The 29-year-old has found victory in three consecutive showings and is on the cusp of earning a title shot. Yet, he will definitely need at least one more high-profile win to get there, and his next fight will be absolutely crucial where his title hopes are concerned.

As for Cormier, the former Olympian has transitioned from a highly touted prospect under the Strikeforce banner to one of the hottest commodities on the UFC roster. The AKA product has picked up back-to-back victories since coming over to compete inside the Octagon and has a style many believe will take the title away from Jones. That said, the Louisiana native is yet to set foot in the light heavyweight division and will need a victory over a top-ranked contender to prove he’s worthy of a title shot.

That’s why a bout between Davis and Cormier makes perfect sense for both and seems to be the likely choice going forward.

If that were to happen, the only option for Evans which comes to mind would be a potential matchup with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua if he wins his upcoming bout against James Te Huna at Fight Night 33 on Dec. 6. While the former Pride champion has looked like a shell of his former self in recent outings, appearing listless in back-to-back drubbings at the hands of Gustafsson and Sonnen respectively, he still carries the type of main event name recognition that would make a bout with Evans a realistic thing. 

Granted, he still needs to defeat the scrappy Sydney-based fighter, which is going to be no easy task if a re-invigorated Rua doesn’t show up. If Rua doesn’t defeat Te Huna next month, there is going to be one top-ranked light heavyweight left out in the cold as the title race heats up.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Dropping Knowledge: Daniel Cormier Breaks Down the Card for UFC 167

The analysts for UFC on Fox and Fox Sports 1 broadcasts have been providing the most in-depth coverage mixed martial has seen in its 20 years of existence.
With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and well-versed hosts at the helm, the people worki…

The analysts for UFC on Fox and Fox Sports 1 broadcasts have been providing the most in-depth coverage mixed martial has seen in its 20 years of existence.

With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and well-versed hosts at the helm, the people working the pre– and post-fight shows for the UFC have consistently raised the bar.

In this installment of “Dropping Knowledge,” UFC heavyweight contender turned light heavyweight-in-the-making Daniel Cormier swung by the hallowed grounds of the column to offer his insight on the action set to go down this weekend at UFC 167 in Las Vegas.

The former Olympian is one of the fastest-rising stars in MMA. Over the past four years, the 34-year-old Louisiana native has gone from prospect to title contender, amassing an impressive 13-0 record. During this run, “D.C.” has built a solid resume, winning the highly touted Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix and beating former champion Frank Mir in his organizational debut at UFC on Fox 7 in April.

The AKA staple followed up a successful showing in San Jose by scoring a clean sweep over knockout artist Roy Nelson at UFC 166 in October. Despite “Big Country” being one of the most dangerous fighters when he is standing, Cormier flexed his ever-improving striking skills to pick up the victory via unanimous decision.

Cormier has now set his sights on the 205-pound division. While no opponent has been named for his official light heavyweight debut, the former Oklahoma State University wrestling standout will officially touch down in his new weight class in early 2014.

In addition to his success inside the cage, he has established himself as one of the top analysts in mixed martial arts as well. He uses a cerebral approach when breaking down the action, and his years of experience in combat sports make the information he shares easily digested with the MMA fanbase.

He made his official debut in this series back in August. This time around, Cormier came in lean and mean to share his thoughts on Saturday night’s card.

 

Bleacher Report: Great to have you back riding shotgun, Mr. Cormier, and let’s get down to business. Much like any time Georges St-Pierre fights, we are given the hard sell how the person who will be standing across from him inside the Octagon has the perfect style to beat him. It has been a rinse, wash and repeat process for the past four years, and now Johny Hendricks is being billed in the exact same role. Do you believe the hype surrounding this weekend’s car is more of the same promotional work, or does Hendricks actually have the perfect style to dethrone the king?

Daniel Cormier: On paper, Johny Hendricks is the perfect storm. He has power, and we’ve seen that affect Georges in the past. Condit put him down with a big shot in their fight, and it put Georges in trouble. On paper, Hendricks is the perfect storm being that he has the wrestling pedigree and he has the power. If it seems like we’ve heard this story, it’s because we have because Georges has fought Josh Koscheck twice. Koscheck has the power, and he has the wrestling pedigree. Out of everyone GSP has fought, Hendricks and Koscheck seem to have the right style. So if anyone is going to beat St-Pierre, I believe Hendricks is the guy with the right style to get it done.

 

B/R: A big element of the stylistic matchup that is being debated leading up to this fight is who will have the strength in the wrestling department. Hendricks is a former two-time national champion at your alma mater, and “GSP” has developed to become one of the game’s best wrestlers when the cage door closes. With your highly decorated background in the discipline, whom do you believe will have the edge in this particular category?

DC: I’m going to look at this objectively, which is very hard to do because I wear orange-colored goggles all the time. People go as far as to say Georges St-Pierre is the best wrestler in MMA, and I don’t believe that for a second because when you start wrestling in MMA—yes, it’s MMA takedowns, but it’s still wrestling. I won’t say he’s the best wrestler, but Georges’ timing is pretty good.

He does a great job of mixing in his strikes with his takedowns. In a wrestling match, Johny Hendricks wins all day. In an MMA fight, I think it is kind of a toss-up. Georges got taken down by Koscheck as did Hendricks, so looking at how they fared against a common opponent, I think it’s a toss-up in that department. 

Koscheck did much better in the second fight with St-Pierre because he was prepared for his takedowns, and since Johny Hendricks has been training back home in Stillwater, he’s going to be well-prepared for the wrestling of Georges St-Pierre. I think wrestling in this fight is going to be a wash, but if anybody is going to have the edge in this fight with takedowns, it’s going to be Johny because he’s been working with more high-level guys leading into this fight.

 

B/R: St-Pierre is one of the most dominant champions in UFC history and has accomplished this feat by being one of the most methodical fighters to ever step into the Octagon. No matter what happens in the fight, St-Pierre doesn’t break game plan, and based on the strength of said game plan, he is rarely ever in a position where he would have to consider doing so. How does Hendricks get St-Pierre to fight his fight on Saturday night?

DC: You have to make him uncomfortable. Georges won’t stray from his game plan, so you have to force him to. This is why I enjoy watching Georges St-Pierre. People talk about my fights and how I do things, but I like to follow my game plans just like Georges does. And I will not veer away from it until someone makes me. Georges does the same thing. The only way to make him break game plan is to force him out of it and into a dogfight. Carlos Condit put him in a dogfight, and Georges was forced to do some things he wouldn’t normally do. Condit knocked him down, and Georges survived, and from there on he fought Condit because he had to. 

When Georges was able to control Nick Diaz any which way he wanted to, he fought his game plan all the way through. Johny needs to hurt Georges early or go out there, take him down and keep him down. That will take him out of his game plan. He has to force Georges to fight a different way. Did Dan Hardy make him fight? No. Did Josh Koscheck make him fight? No. Condit has been the only guy in years to make him stray from his game plan, and Hendricks has to find a way to make that happen. Georges will not do it for him.

On another note, I enjoy watching Georges St-Pierre fight. I think his fights are beautiful because he never lets his opponents fight where they are comfortable. I think it’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen in MMA.

 

B/R: The co-main event features two personal friends of yours in Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen. With both coming from wrestling backgrounds, the stylistic matchup seems to be one of those “similar but different” situations. What is your take on how things will play out between these two light heavyweights at UFC 167?

DC: This is a hard one for me and everybody else who are close to them. You would much rather them not be fighting, and you hate to pick when it’s two friends. They are both wrestlers, and I’ve trained with them both. I trained with Rashad very early in my career, but after training with Chael just recently, you have to understand he is going to do certain things every time. He’s going to put a lot of pressure on. He’s going to attempt takedowns. And guess what? He’s probably going to take Rashad down.

Rashad needs to understand that even if he gets taken down, he has to get up and put the fight back on the feet, where I think he holds a pretty clear advantage in the striking. I think it’s going to be a tough fight and will come down to Rashad being able to take Chael down and keep him there. Chael has shown he isn’t very effective on his back. Rashad needs to take him down and control him. 

I love Chael Sonnen. I think he’s a fantastic fighter. But I think if Rashad Evans fights like Rashad Evans can fight, it’s a pretty straightforward fight for him.

 

B/R: While their fight is as high profile as they come at 205, the bout feels to have more pressure on Evans’ side of the table. Sonnen also broke out of a recent rough patch, but with his road ahead already paved with The Ultimate Fighter coaching duties and a Wanderlei Silva fight, it seems he will be unaffected win or lose. That doesn’t feel like the case with Evans, and do you believe there is more urgency on him to find victory in this fight?

DC: I think there is more urgency surrounding Rashad in this fight only because a win puts him right back in the conversation for another title shot. He lost to Jones…but everybody has lost to Jones. He lost to Nogueira—which was a huge disappointment—but he rebounded by defeating Henderson in his next fight. If he comes out and beats Chael Sonnen in this fight, he is going to be right back into title contention or maybe one fight away. I don’t think Chael is as close to that as Rashad is, and that is why I think there is more urgency surrounding Rashad in this fight.

 

B/R: The fight between Rory MacDonald and Robbie Lawler has plenty of interesting storylines heading in, but the most prominent seems to be the veteran’s resurgence and the young prospect’s rise to contention intersecting in Las Vegas. How do you see this fight playing out?

DC: I think it’s a great fight. Robbie has been nothing short of amazing since he got back to the UFC and dropped back down to 170. I think he shows that when guys fight at their normal weight class, how effective and successful you can really be. That being said, I think Rory MacDonald is the first one of that new breed of athlete coming into mixed martial arts. He’s leading that wave of kids who aren’t starting in one specific art form and then trying to hit all the other ones as they go.

We are lifetime wrestlers where guys like Rory MacDonald start at 15. And while he is a wrestler, he is also doing striking and jiu-jitsu. These guys start young, become well-rounded and reach the highest level of the sport when they are still just kids. I mean Rory was fighting in the UFC at 20 or 21 years old. I think he’s the new breed of fighter that is going to be tough for anyone to beat, and I think that will be the case in the fight on Saturday night.

 

B/R: Staying in the welterweight ranks, another big divisional tilt on the card will come between Josh Koscheck and Tyron Woodley. Both have suffered setbacks during their recent runs, and do you believe this is a case where the winner stays but the loser is bounced from the upper tier at 170 pounds?

DC: I think that is the case…especially for Koscheck. He’s been around the top of the division for so long, and now he has two losses in a row. But think about it for a second. The fight he lost before getting knocked out by Robbie Lawler was against Johny Hendricks, and that was a super-close split decision. It was very close, and a lot of people thought “Kos” won that fight. But the truth is, if he loses this fight, it will be three in a row. That has never happened before in his career, and I think he’ll have to take a step back if that happens. 

Woodley, on the other hand, had an impressive debut but then lost to Jake Shields. I think he has more time because he hasn’t been around as long. I think it’s very important for Koscheck to win this fight and he will take a further step back if he loses. If that happens, it will also make people start to question whether or not it’s time for him to start looking toward the end of the road. He’s getting older, and if he loses three fights in a row after being so successful for so long, people will start to question whether or not it’s time for him to hang it up. This fight is a big deal for both, but I think it’s a little more important for Josh to get this win.

 

B/R: Another big name on the bill is former WEC title challenger turned UFC contender Donald Cerrone. I have long held the belief that when there is nothing but a fight purse on the line, “Cowboy” is lights out on fight night. That said, when there is talk of title contention or a fight carries certain implications, something happens to him and Cerrone just doesn’t show up to get after it. In his fight with Evan Dunham on Saturday, the only thing at stake is money, and do you believe we are going to see the fired-up version of Cerrone on fight night?

DC: You summed it up pretty good. I think with nothing to lose and nothing to look forward to title wise, I think it is going to be a great fight because I think Evan Dunham fights the same way. I’m looking forward to a fun and exciting fight. I think this is one of those fights where it could really turn into a dogfight. It’s just one of those fun fights.

The crazy thing is that at the top of the card, all we are talking about is the title and title implications for those fights. As you move down, you start to talk about whether or not Koscheck is at the end of the line and how far Woodley falls in the division if he loses. Then you start to get to the fun fights like this matchup between Dunham and Cerrone. Cowboy fights great when there is nothing to lose, but when he starts getting to a point where there is title contention on the line, he doesn’t perform his best for some reason. Where he is right now…I think he’s going to put on a great fight. This is going to be a fun fight, and it’s guaranteed to be a fun one.

 

B/R: I know you do your homework in the lead-up to the cards you work, and I’m curious how many times in your preparation have you practiced saying Ali Bagautinov?

DC: You just said it wrong. It’s Bagu-a-tinov. Do you know the reason I know I’m pronouncing this correctly? It’s because I train with Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is friends with the guy, and when he had his UFC debut, I actually had to do his pop up on the pre-fight show. I had to say his name over and over again until I got it right.  

 

D.C.’s picks

Johny Hendricks def. Georges St-Pierre (Cormier admits to wearing his orange OSU goggles while making this pick)

Rashad Evans def. Chael Sonnen

Rory MacDonald def. Robbie Lawler

Josh Koscheck def. Tyron Woodley

Ali Bagautinov def. Tim Elliot

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jon Jones Makes Fat Joke About Daniel Cormier on Twitter, DC Responds

While UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones knows he will be defending his belt against surging contender Glover Teixeira next, that hasn’t stopped him from taking verbal shots at a likely future opponent in Daniel Cormier. 
In this latest instance, “Bo…

While UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones knows he will be defending his belt against surging contender Glover Teixeira next, that hasn’t stopped him from taking verbal shots at a likely future opponent in Daniel Cormier. 

In this latest instance, “Bones” tweeted an insult Cormier‘s way when discussing a trip to the Republic of Dagestan. 

It didn’t take very long for “DC” to hear about the disparaging remark and clearly did not find the humor in the joke.  

The former Olympic-level wrestler also did not like the fact that a fan suggested he was trying to “Chael Sonnen” his way into a title fight. 

While Jones vs. Teixeira is yet to officially be booked, UFC president Dana White has gone on the record saying to expect the light heavyweight title tilt to take place in March, per MMA Weekly. 

Meanwhile, Cormier, who is undefeated after 13 bouts as a professional mixed martial artist, stated his intent to move down to light heavyweight regardless of the outcome of his UFC 166 fight with Roy Nelson. 

Despite winning in convincing fashion, White said that Cormier would not get an immediate title shot at 205 pounds and will have to face a top contender first, per Mixedmartialarts.com.  

Jones, the No. 1 fighter in the UFC’s official pound-for-pound rankings, is currently riding a solid 10-fight win streak, including a record-setting six title defenses. 

The champ earned some time off after a five-round classic with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 last month, the only opponent thus far to be competitive with Jones for a full 25 minutes. 

Should Jones get past Teixeira, with DC having a successful debut at light heavyweight as well, would it then be time for the UFC to pull the trigger on a Jones vs. Cormier title bout?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com.

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Daniel Cormier Wants to Face Phil Davis or Lil’ Nog in His LHW Debut

Daniel Cormier is on his way to the light heavyweight division, and he’s already plotting the course for his arrival.
The former Olympian made a triumphant exit from the heavyweight division with his unanimous-decision victory over Roy Nelson last Satu…

Daniel Cormier is on his way to the light heavyweight division, and he’s already plotting the course for his arrival.

The former Olympian made a triumphant exit from the heavyweight division with his unanimous-decision victory over Roy Nelson last Saturday at UFC 166, and now he’s eyeing his first challenge as a light heavyweight.

With his top-ranked status and undefeated record intact, “D.C.” will hit the 205-pound division as a major player. That said, he’s looking to face an opponent who will put him on the fast track to a title shot.

He has two potential options in mind: Phil Davis and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The 34-year-old Cormier used his time as co-host on Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight to address the matter.

Those are all big fights and the types of fights that matter. These are the types of fights I’m going to need if I’m going to put myself in a position to win a championship. I want to win a title, man. That is the reason I’m going to go down to 205. I thought that was going to be my first fight. That was my intention, but it doesn’t seem that way now and the division has moved on. But give me ‘Lil Nog‘ or Davis, that would be a great fight. Any of those guys make for an exciting fight. I want big fights and I want to face a guy who is a contender.

Either matchup would make a suitable light heavyweight debut for Cormier, and it pretty much extinguishes talk of a potential bout with Alexander Gustafsson. While the recent title challenger has been floated as a possible option, the AKA standout described why a fight with the Swedish striker isn’t going to happen next.

I have no problem fighting Alexander Gustafsson…not at all. The one thing I’m concerned about is being that it is going to be my first time fighting down at 205 and I know Gustafsson is going to be fighting somewhere in Europe. Whether it’s Sweden or somewhere else in Europe, I don’t want to be making my first weight cut down to 205 overseas.

I know what I’m going to need and I know I can find saunas here in the United States and all the food I would need in order to make the weight. I know those things are easily accessible for me fighting in the United States of America. I have no problem fighting Gustafsson but I would not want to do it overseas.

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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Armchair Matchmaker: ‘UFC 166: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos III’ Edition


(Quick, someone call Wanderlei Silva‘s plastic surgeon! Photo via Reddit MMA)

Now that we’ve all come down from the meth-like high that UFC 166 provided, let’s get down to some business, shall we? Fans and pundits of the sport alike have previously hailed our armchair matchmakers as “The most sagacious, in-depth and intellectually gratifying reading experiences in all of mixed martial arts reporting,” so let’s hope we can work our magic for Saturday’s biggest winners. Besides, AMC FearFest starts soon and we will be checking out for the rest of this month once that gets underway.

Cain Velasquez: Well, according to Dana White during Saturday’s media scrum, Velasquez will be facing Fabricio Werdum next. Don’t be fooled by Werdum’s recent three-fight killing spree, though; Velasquez will have “Vai Cavalo” butt-flopping all over the mat inside of two rounds. That greedy sonofabitch.

Daniel Cormier: To hell with who Cormier should be matched up with next, I want to be matched up with Cormier’s kickboxing coach and learn the art of the turning side check kick, STAT. In all seriousness, we’d like to see the former Olympian matched up with fellow grappling stud Phil Davis next. Davis is fresh off a split decision over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163, and if Cormier is as insistent on cutting to LHW as he seems, Davis would make for a perfect litmus test.


(Quick, someone call Wanderlei Silva‘s plastic surgeon! Photo via Reddit MMA)

Now that we’ve all come down from the meth-like high that UFC 166 provided, let’s get down to some business, shall we? Fans and pundits of the sport alike have previously hailed our armchair matchmakers as “The most sagacious, in-depth and intellectually gratifying reading experiences in all of mixed martial arts reporting,” so let’s hope we can work our magic for Saturday’s biggest winners. Besides, AMC FearFest starts soon and we will be checking out for the rest of this month once that gets underway.

Cain Velasquez: Well, according to Dana White during Saturday’s media scrum, Velasquez will be facing Fabricio Werdum next. Don’t be fooled by Werdum’s recent three-fight killing spree, though; Velasquez will have “Vai Cavalo” butt-flopping all over the mat inside of two rounds. That greedy sonofabitch.

Daniel Cormier: To hell with who Cormier should be matched up with next, I want to be matched up with Cormier’s kickboxing coach and learn the art of the turning side check kick, STAT. In all seriousness, we’d like to see the former Olympian matched up with fellow grappling stud Phil Davis next. Davis is fresh off a split decision over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163, and if Cormier is as insistent on cutting to LHW as he seems, Davis would make for a perfect litmus test.

Gilbert Melendez: Either T.J. Grant or Khabib Nurmagomedov. Grant’s already injured his way out of a title shot, and with Josh Thomson taking on Anthony Pettis next, a fight between Melendez (who lost a razor-thin split decision to former champ Ben Henderson in his previous fight) and Grant would make for a sure-to-be slugfest that would help determine the true #1 contender in an already stacked division. Now that we’ve seen how Melendez deals with an extrovert-lunatic like Sanchez, it will be interesting to see how he handles an introverted, Ed Gein-esque lunatic like Grant. Because you just know that Grant has robbed a grave or two in his day. He’s got that look in his eyes.

Of course, now that Nurmagomedov is farmboy slamming top contenders like Pat Healy and calling for title shots in his post-fight interviews, a fight with the former Strikeforce champion could be the validating fight he’s been looking for. His name still doesn’t carry the kind of power that Melendez’s does, but a win over the Russian would solidify “El Nino’s” place as a future title challenger.

Gabriel Gonzaga: While watching UFC 166 at a particularly distressing Buffalo Wild Wings in Skokie, Illinois last weekend, I overheard a man known only as “Possum” refer to Gonzaga as “a real Jekyll and Hyde” fighter. It was perhaps the most astute fighter analysis I have ever heard. Thankfully, Gonzaga has been a lot more Hyde than Jekyll in his second UFC run, putting together four stoppage wins against just one defeat. With that in mind, we think the UFC should give Gonzaga another shot at glory against an upper-echelon heavyweight and see how he fares. Although Stipe Miocic is basically the only guy who fits the above criteria and doesn’t currently have a fight booked, we think the winner of the Frank Mir/Alistair Overeem fight would make for a better matchup. Our prediction: Pain. 

John Dodson: There are really only two options available for the hardest hitting flyweight in the division: You either give him the Lineker-Harris winner or the Jorgensen-McCall winner. Or you give him another title shot. Or you give him another UFC newbie to beat on and kill some time. OK, so there’s four options. But only two of them are sensible, so take your pick.

What do you think, Potato Nation? Do these matchups intrigue you in the slightest? And who would you like to see UFC 166′s losers face next?

–J. Jones

UFC 166 Highlight Videos: Velasquez Dominates Dos Santos, Nelson Pays the Troll Toll + The FOTY Frontrunner

(Velasquez vs. Dos Santos highlights, via the FOX Sports Youtube page.) 

To put it bluntly, UFC 166 was the kind of faith-restoring UFC event that effectively silenced even the most cynical of the sport’s detractors (henceforth known as “garbage-assers“). Featuring a trio of wars and a pair of brutal first round finishes on the main card alone, UFC 166 staked its claim as an early frontrunner for “Event of the Year” at this year’s Potato Awards and will likely achieve the same notoriety at awards ceremonies that actually transpire.

In the evening’s main event, Cain “El Emperador Finale” Velasquez selfishly opted to ruin the heavyweight division for the foreseeable future with a dominant fifth round TKO of former rival Junior Dos Santos. Elsewhere on the card, Roy Nelson was routed by another top 5 competitor in Daniel Cormier, Gilbert Melendez attempted to punch the crazy out of Diego Sanchez to little avail, and Gabriel Gonzaga reaffirmed that a man with a pedostache is not to be toyed with. Twas a momentous night, indeed.

Thankfully, FOX Sports has compiled some highlight videos of the evening’s greatest slugfests and made them available for viewing on their Youtube page. Although these snippets won’t fill the bottomless void created in the soul of, say, your friend Dave who insisted on skipping UFC 166 to attend a Lady Gaga concert with his bitch of a girlfriend, they will give you the chance to confirm that Dave is a tiny, tin-eared man who lacks intestinal fortitude and any semblance of deductive reasoning. Fucking Dave.

We’ve placed the highlight video for Velasquez/Dos Santos III above, but join us after the jump to relive the rest of what was truly a historic night for both the UFC and MMA in general.


(Velasquez vs. Dos Santos highlights, via the FOX Sports Youtube page.) 

To put it bluntly, UFC 166 was the kind of faith-restoring UFC event that effectively silenced even the most cynical of the sport’s detractors (henceforth known as “garbage-assers“). Featuring a trio of wars and a pair of brutal first round finishes on the main card alone, UFC 166 staked its claim as an early frontrunner for “Event of the Year” at this year’s Potato Awards and will likely achieve the same notoriety at awards ceremonies that actually transpire.

In the evening’s main event, Cain “El Emperador Finale” Velasquez selfishly opted to ruin the heavyweight division for the foreseeable future with a dominant fifth round TKO of former rival Junior Dos Santos. Elsewhere on the card, Roy Nelson was routed by another top 5 competitor in Daniel Cormier, Gilbert Melendez attempted to punch the crazy out of Diego Sanchez to little avail, and Gabriel Gonzaga reaffirmed that a man with a pedostache is not to be toyed with. Twas a momentous night, indeed.

Thankfully, FOX Sports has compiled some highlight videos of the evening’s greatest slugfests and made them available for viewing on their Youtube page. Although these snippets won’t fill the bottomless void created in the soul of, say, your friend Dave who insisted on skipping UFC 166 to attend a Lady Gaga concert with his bitch of a girlfriend, they will give you the chance to confirm that Dave is a tiny, tin-eared man who lacks intestinal fortitude and any semblance of deductive reasoning. Fucking Dave.

We’ve placed the highlight video for Velasquez/Dos Santos III above, but join us after the jump to relive the rest of what was truly a historic night for both the UFC and MMA in general.

Cormier vs. Nelson Highlights

Melendez vs. Sanchez Highlights

Gonzaga vs. Jordan Highlights

–J. Jones