Live from the South Side Ballroom at Gilley’s Dallas in Texas, all 26 fighters competing on tomorrow’s UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler card are hitting the scales today starting at 5 p.m. EST. Will Diego Sanchez cartwheel his way to the stage? Will Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler have a good old fashioned dip spit-off? Only one way to find out, Nation.
Update: Well that was nerve-wracking. Check out the full results after the jump, including three fighters who missed weight on their first attempts.
Live from the South Side Ballroom at Gilley’s Dallas in Texas, all 26 fighters competing on tomorrow’s UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler card are hitting the scales today starting at 5 p.m. EST. Will Diego Sanchez cartwheel his way to the stage? Will Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler have a good old fashioned dip spit-off? Only one way to find out, Nation.
Update: Well that was nerve-wracking. Check out the full results after the jump, including three fighters who missed weight on their first attempts.
Main Card (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
-Johny Hendricks (170*) vs. Robbie Lawler (170)
-Carlos Condit (170.5) vs. Tyron Woodley (170)
-Myles Jury (156) vs. Diego Sanchez (155)
-Hector Lombard (170) vs. Jake Shields (171)
-Nikita Krylov (205) vs. Ovince St. Preux (205)
Prelim Card (FOX Sports 2, 8 p.m. ET)
-Kelvin Gastelum (171**) vs. Rick Story (170.5)
-Jessica Andrade (135) vs. Raquel Pennington (135.5)
-Dennis Bermudez (146) vs. Jimy Hettes (145.5)
-Alex Garcia (170.5) vs. Sean Spencer (170)
Prelim Card (UFC Fight Pass, 6 p.m. ET)
-Renee Forte (157***) vs. Frank Trevino (155)
-Will Campuzano (125.5) vs. Justin Scoggins (125)
-Robert McDaniel (184.5) vs. Sean Strickland (185)
-Daniel Pineda (145) vs. Robert Whiteford (145)
* Hendricks initially weighed in at 171.5, but hit the welterweight limit when he weighed in again two hours later — which is a good thing because it would have been a total clusterfuck if he didn’t.
Diego Sanchez is perhaps the UFC’s pound-for-pound most likable fighter.
At least in interview settings, the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter winner comes across as one of MMA’s true nice guys. He’s thoughtful and honest—forthcom…
Diego Sanchez is perhaps the UFC’s pound-for-pound most likable fighter.
At least in interview settings, the first-ever The Ultimate Fighter winner comes across as one of MMA’s true nice guys. He’s thoughtful and honest—forthcoming to a fault—with a gentle demeanor that belies the ferocious, swing-from-the-heels style that has made him one of the company’s most popular and dependably exciting attractions.
When he takes on undefeated up-and-comer Myles Jury on Saturday at UFC 171, it’ll be his 20th appearance in the Octagon and fight No. 31 of his career overall.
He’ll do it as one of just three members of that original TUF cast who remain active. Even as fellow TUF 1 alumnus Chris Leben hung up his gloves in January and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig called it quits last week, Sanchez appears to have no intention of slowing down.
Maybe that’s what worries us a little bit.
“I’m going in there headstrong,” Sanchez said on Tuesday of his fight with Jury, via MMA Junkie’s Ben Fowlkes. “I believe I’m better than I’ve ever been in my career.”
That he is one of the last men standing from TUF 1 should surprise no one. Since winning the show’s inaugural season a bit less than nine years ago, his life has been an open book to fight fans.
We’ve witnessed his triumphs and his heartbreaks both in and out of the cage as he grew from 23-year-old prospect to steady veteran. Though he’s been through some personal calamity and has been slowed by injury in recent years, he’s remained the consummate fighter.
Six times during his last nine appearances, he’s won Fight of the Night bonuses. Two of those were eventually honored as the best fights of the year, and in his last bout—a slobberknocker loss against Gilbert Melendez—he reaffirmed that he can still throw down with the UFC’s top lightweights.
His never-say-die attitude has made him a thrilling talent to watch in the Octagon, earned him a lot of money and won him a vast legion of fans. It’s also subjected him to large amounts of damage, raising more and more concerns about his future health the longer he carries on.
If you read his recent comments about the Melendez fight and don’t feel a little concerned for him, you may want to drive directly to the ER and undergo some tests to confirm you have a heart.
“Hell no,” Sanchez said, when Fowlkes asked him if he thinks fights like the Melendez brawl take a toll on him. “Hell no, that s–t don’t take no toll on me, that just makes me better. That’s just experience, that’s being under the bright lights. That’s learning to find who you are as a true warrior, learning to find that true warrior spirit within.”
It’s exactly that attitude that we love about Sanchez, but it also spikes our fears.
This is a natural consequence of using a reality show as a marketing tool for professional fighters: We become attached to them on a personal level. Especially concerning the star-studded cast of the first The Ultimate Fighter, UFC fans have built strong emotional connections to the personalities they saw on the show.
Frankly, we feel like we know these guys—even though we really don’t. We like and respect them and don’t want to see anything bad happen to them.
That’s one of the reasons why it’s painful to see a proud fighter like Leben struggle during the early days of his retirement. That’s why it stings to see Mike Swick hampered by injuries or Josh Koscheck saddled with an uncertain future after three consecutive losses.
And it’s why the prospect of Sanchez fighting Jury this weekend tugs at our heartstrings. He’ll come in as a slight underdog, according to BestFightOdds.com, but this seems like a winnable fight for him against a comparatively inexperienced opponent who has never fought someone of Sanchez’s caliber.
With losses in two of his last three, this is a must-win. At the same time, it’s unclear where a victory over Jury leaves Sanchez, except right back in the mix fighting the world’s toughest guys for a future shot at the UFC lightweight title.
That’s what he wants, and we will support him in it, because we like Sanchez and want the best for him. We want him to capture his dreams.
Note:Reed’s book ‘Fightnomics’ is available now on Amazon (in Kindle and paperback versions), featuring 336 pages of statistical analysis on UFC fighters and the “hidden science” behind their fights. If you’ve been a fan of his Databomb columns on CagePotato, pick up a copy today.
With UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler coming up this Saturday, I decided to put together another batch of interesting facts and stats about the event, all of which fit inside Twitter’s 140-character limit. Feel free to tweet ’em out yourself during the event, and let us know which ones surprised you the most. (And of course, follow @cagepotatomma and @fightnomics if you’re not doing so already.) Let’s begin…
The Good
7 of the Top 15 ranked @ufc welterweights are competing at #UFC171. That includes numbers 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 12, & 14. Post GSP-era starts now.
Welterweight sluggers at #UFC171: punch for punch @TWooodley has the highest WW Knockdown Rate-13%. Lawler-10%, Lombard/Hendricks-6%. Ave=4%
Myles Jury has the best head striking defense at #UFC171. He makes opponents miss 93% of the time. Next best is Tyron Woodley at 80%.
Alex Garcia’s UFC debut lasted just 43 seconds. He landed 9 total strikes, dropped his opponent and won by KO. He opens FS2 #UFC171 prelims
Best Takedown Defense at #UFC171 goes to Tyron Woodley-94%, Dennis Bermudez-89%, Hector Lombard-79%
Highest paced striker at #UFC171 is Jake Shields. He averages 17 strikes per minute while standing, and outworks opponents by 75%
[Ed. note: WTF???]
Note:Reed’s book ‘Fightnomics’ is available now on Amazon (in Kindle and paperback versions), featuring 336 pages of statistical analysis on UFC fighters and the “hidden science” behind their fights. If you’ve been a fan of his Databomb columns on CagePotato, pick up a copy today.
With UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler coming up this Saturday, I decided to put together another batch of interesting facts and stats about the event, all of which fit inside Twitter’s 140-character limit. Feel free to tweet ‘em out yourself during the event, and let us know which ones surprised you the most. (And of course, follow @cagepotatomma and @fightnomics if you’re not doing so already.) Let’s begin…
The Good
7 of the Top 15 ranked @ufc welterweights are competing at #UFC171. That includes numbers 1, 2, 3, 6, 11, 12, & 14. Post GSP-era starts now.
Welterweight sluggers at #UFC171: punch for punch @TWooodley has the highest WW Knockdown Rate-13%. Lawler-10%, Lombard/Hendricks-6%. Ave=4%
Myles Jury has the best head striking defense at #UFC171. He makes opponents miss 93% of the time. Next best is Tyron Woodley at 80%.
Alex Garcia’s UFC debut lasted just 43 seconds. He landed 9 total strikes, dropped his opponent and won by KO. He opens FS2 #UFC171 prelims
Best Takedown Defense at #UFC171 goes to Tyron Woodley-94%, Dennis Bermudez-89%, Hector Lombard-79%
Highest paced striker at #UFC171 is Jake Shields. He averages 17 strikes per minute while standing, and outworks opponents by 75%
[Ed. note: WTF???]
Jake Shields has already beaten 3 other ranked welterweights competing at #UFC171, including Carlos Condit, Robbie Lawler & Tyron Woodley
Arms Race: Ovince St. Preux has the longest reach at #UFC171 at 79”. His opponent Nikita Krylov has the 2nd longest reach at 77.5”
Two fights into his UFC career and Nikita Krylov has yet to be hit with a head jab. He also hasn’t landed one yet himself #UFC171
.@jakeshieldsajj has spent more minutes in control on the mat than any other fighter at #UFC171 & 17% of that time was in full mount.
Carlos Condit & Jake Shields are most likely to advance position while on the mat at #UFC171. Each average several advances per takedown landed
The Bad
Hector Lombard (36) and Jakes Shields (35) are the two oldest competitors at #UFC171. When they face each other it’s 71 years combined age in the Octagon
With a reported reach of 62″, Jessica Andrade has the shortest wingspan of any fighter in UFC history #UFC171
Worst Takedown Defense to date at #UFC171 goes to Nikita Krylov. Opponents were 4 for 4 in takedown attempts against him
The most experienced UFC veteran at #UFC171 is Diego Sanchez. In his UFC career he’s been hit in the head 920 times total (5th all-time)
Jake Shields is the least accurate striker at #UFC171, he only lands 12% of his power head strikes
No one at #UFC171 has attempted more takedowns in the UFC than Diego Sanchez. Of his 133 attempts, however, he has only landed 19%.
The Weird
There will be (at least) 11 Southpaws competing at #UFC171 which is more than any card in @ufc history. It’s the most UNorthodox card ever!
In the main event at #UFC171 both fighters will come out Southpaw. And with the nicknames given to them when they were two: Johny & Robbie.
Most likely to attempt a takedown at #UFC171 are Johny Hendricks & Jake Shields. Each average 1 attempt per minute they are on their feet.
Most likely to mix up his striking attack at #UFC171 is Carlos Condit. He throws body and leg kicks way more than average
Young Guns at #UFC171: Nikita Krylov, Kelvin Gastelum & Jessica Andrade are all just 22 years old. Justin Scoggins turns 22 in May
Arms Race: Jimmy Hettes will have the biggest Reach Advantage at #UFC171. His reach is 71” and he’s facing Dennis Bermudez-66”
Although Robbie Lawler rarely attempts takedowns, his success rate is 70%, the highest at #UFC171. Myles Jury is 2nd at 64%
Rick Story, the lowest of the 6 ranked Welterweights at #UFC171 has a UFC win over Johny Hendricks, the highest ranked Welterweight
No one at #UFC171 faced more takedowns than Carlos Condit (81). He defended 41% leaving opponents with a high collective takedown success %.
(One day, you’re putting on one of the greatest fights in UFC History. The next, you’re fighting Ben Askren at a catchweight in One FC. *cries into whiskey glass* Photo via Getty.)
You guys remember Gilbert Melendez, right? You know, the Gilbert Melendez who was the final Strikeforce lightweight champion and one half of an amazing trilogy of fights with Josh Thomson? The Gilbert Melendez who came over to the UFC and beat then lightweight champ Ben Henderson but lost anyway because Ben Henderson? The Gilbert Melendez who put on a Fight of the Century performance against Diego Sanchez at UFC 166? Thought so.
Well hold onto those memories, Nation, because it looks like we should already start asking what could’ve been in regards to Melendez’s UFC career, young as it was. On last night’s edition of UFC Tonight, it was reported that, after months of attempting to negotiate a new contract with the promotion, Melendez’s management and Dana White have all but reached a stalemate. Said White:
I’m done. It’s not going well and I couldn’t care less at this point. I like Gilbert Melendez very much. I just don’t like his management. If Gilbert Melendez wants to fight in the UFC he better call Lorenzo Fertitta quickly, but he should also probably start looking elsewhere.
Two thoughts:
-At least DW managed to avoid calling anyone a “f*cking scumbag” or something of the like.
(One day, you’re putting on one of the greatest fights in UFC History. The next, you’re fighting Ben Askren at a catchweight in One FC. *cries into whiskey glass* Photo via Getty.)
You guys remember Gilbert Melendez, right? You know, the Gilbert Melendez who was the final Strikeforce lightweight champion and one half of an amazing trilogy of fights with Josh Thomson? The Gilbert Melendez who came over to the UFC and beat then lightweight champ Ben Henderson but lost anyway because Ben Henderson? The Gilbert Melendez who put on a Fight of the Century performance against Diego Sanchez at UFC 166? Thought so.
Well hold onto those memories, Nation, because it looks like we should already start asking what could’ve been in regards to Melendez’s UFC career, young as it was. On last night’s edition of UFC Tonight, it was reported that, after months of attempting to negotiate a new contract with the promotion, Melendez’s management and Dana White have all but reached a stalemate. Said White:
I’m done. It’s not going well and I couldn’t care less at this point. I like Gilbert Melendez very much. I just don’t like his management. If Gilbert Melendez wants to fight in the UFC he better call Lorenzo Fertitta quickly, but he should also probably start looking elsewhere.
Two thoughts:
-At least DW managed to avoid calling anyone a “f*cking scumbag” or something of the like.
And now, a couple facts. Melendez was making $175K to show for his first two UFC fights, a figure that had carried over from his Strikeforce contract. He’s gone 1-1 in the UFC, with a controversial decision loss to Henderson at UFC on FOX 7 and the aforementioned FOTC against Sanchez at UFC 166. A fight, by the way, that Dana White lauded at the 166 post-fight press conference, stating “In the 13 years of being in this company, we’ve seen some amazing fights. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fight like that. That fight was insane.”
It should also be noted that Melendez is currently ranked 2nd at lightweight and 14th pound-for-pound on the UFC’s website. If you’re into that sort of thing (in which case, take it away Nelson).
While details are scarce on the figure Melendez was offered, you could probably guesstimate the UFC’s offer through simple compare and contrast. Let’s see…1-1…Strikeforce champ…how about Luke Rockhold? The final Strikeforce middleweight champion was making nearly $100K a fight until signing with the UFC, where his value was immediately downgraded to a $40K/$40K split.
It’s a significant pay cut for sure, and Rockhold is in arguably the same position as Melendez. Both are better known, marketable Strikeforce champs batting .500 in the UFC, so one would expect that they would be treated similarly in terms of salary. Even if Melendez was valued at $60K/$60K, that would still be over a 30% cut from his norm. Dan Henderson may have had to swallow his pride and accept such a deal, but Melendez is arguably in the prime of his career and might not be so willing to do the same.
It’s speculation at this point, I know. And personally, I say Melendez is worth whatever he’s asking regardless of the figure. But for now, let’s just hope that Melendez and the UFC are able to reach some sort of agreement, because you just know that if Bellator gets ahold of “El Nino” they will find some way to fuck it up.
I kind of like these “Full Blast” videos that the UFC has been putting out lately. Usually when I’m watching UFC fights at home, I’m surrounded by my half-wit friends who say things like, “Why doesn’t that guy on the bottom just get up and kick the other dude in the head. Game over.” And I’m like, uggggggggh. So it’s cool to see what people with actual first-hand insight on the sport have to say.
Of course, not every fighter’s approach to a Full Blast segment is the same. As you can see above, heel-superstar Michael Bisping prefers the snarky approach, making sure to remind us how boring Mark Munoz is, and how he could whoop Munoz and Lyoto Machida at the same time. On the other hand, he gives legitimate respect to Machida for his perfectly executed head-kick knockout, and for the gentlemanly way that the Dragon stopped his follow-up punch in mid-flight. Also, Bisping and Conor McGregor are the Scut Farkus and Grover Dill of MMA. Please spread awareness.
After the jump, UFC on FOX 10 headliner Josh Thomson starts out doing color-commentary for the Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez slugfest at UFC 166, then switches directly into enthusiastic fan mode. (Can you blame him? That fight was bananas.) Skip to the 2:43 mark to see Thomson absolutely losing his mind.
I kind of like these “Full Blast” videos that the UFC has been putting out lately. Usually when I’m watching UFC fights at home, I’m surrounded by my half-wit friends who say things like, “Why doesn’t that guy on the bottom just get up and kick the other dude in the head. Game over.” And I’m like, uggggggggh. So it’s cool to see what people with actual first-hand insight on the sport have to say.
Of course, not every fighter’s approach to a Full Blast segment is the same. As you can see above, heel-superstar Michael Bisping prefers the snarky approach, making sure to remind us how boring Mark Munoz is, and how he could whoop Munoz and Lyoto Machida at the same time. On the other hand, he gives legitimate respect to Machida for his perfectly executed head-kick knockout, and for the gentlemanly way that the Dragon stopped his follow-up punch in mid-flight. Also, Bisping and Conor McGregor are the Scut Farkus and Grover Dill of MMA. Please spread awareness.
After the jump, UFC on FOX 10 headliner Josh Thomson starts out doing color-commentary for the Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez slugfest at UFC 166, then switches directly into enthusiastic fan mode. (Can you blame him? That fight was bananas.) Skip to the 2:43 mark to see Thomson absolutely losing his mind.
