Tag: Eddie Wineland

MMA Top 10 Bantamweights: Cruz, Faber on a Collision Course

Filed under: UFC, WEC, Rankings, BantamweightsThe two best 135-pound fighters in the world will square off some time later this year for the first ever UFC bantamweight title match in what should be a great showcase for what has quietly become one of t…

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The two best 135-pound fighters in the world will square off some time later this year for the first ever UFC bantamweight title match in what should be a great showcase for what has quietly become one of the UFC’s most talented weight classes.

Before the UFC absorbed World Extreme Cagefighting, the smaller guys were largely overlooked by casual MMA fans. But now that the UFC has added the WEC’s bantamweights — and also snapped up some 135-pounders from other promotions — the bantamweight class is stacked. In fact, as I put together my latest ranking of the Top 10 bantamweights in mixed martial arts, all 10 of them are now under contract to the UFC.

The top two, as you probably suspect, are bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz and the only man to defeat him, Urijah Faber. Those two will square off at UFC 132. But the rest of the bantamweight division includes several talented fighters who could become worthy challengers to the bantamweight title in the years ahead.

UFC 128 Live Blog: Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland Round-by-Round Updates

Filed under: UFCNEWARK, NJ — This is the UFC 128 live blog for Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s UFC 128 pay-per-view from the Prudential Center.

Faber (24-4) is a former WEC featherweight champion and put Takeya Mizug…

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Urijah Faber takes on Eddie Wineland at UFC 128.NEWARK, NJ — This is the UFC 128 live blog for Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland, a bantamweight bout on tonight’s UFC 128 pay-per-view from the Prudential Center.

Faber (24-4) is a former WEC featherweight champion and put Takeya Mizugaki to sleep at last November at WEC 52. Wineland (18-6-1) was the first ever WEC bantamweight champion and won his last four WEC fights. Both are making their UFC debuts after successful runs in the WEC.

The live blog is below.

UFC 128 Weigh-In Results

Filed under: UFC, NewsBarely sharing a glance, UFC light-heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and challenger Jon Jones practically ignored each other during their brief time together at the UFC 128 weigh-ins. Jones, for one, was anxious enough to…

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Barely sharing a glance, UFC light-heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and challenger Jon Jones practically ignored each other during their brief time together at the UFC 128 weigh-ins. Jones, for one, was anxious enough to leave the stage that he started to leave before being called back to do a brief interview with weigh-in host Joe Rogan.

Saturday night, they’ll have no choice but to engage in a fight that is expected to produce far more fireworks. Both champ and challenger came in at 205 pounds for the main event fight at Newark’s Prudential Center.

“I think certainly Jon Jones is a great fighter,” Rua said afterward. “He also has a lot of experience. But this belt is mine and it will keep being mine.”

Former WEC Champ Eddie Wineland Hoping to Showcase Himself vs. Faber

Filed under: UFCNEWARK, N.J. — Between fights, the rumors came fast and furious for Urijah Faber. Was he going to face Dominick Cruz in a grudge rematch? Was he going to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter? Maybe the UFC would match him up w…

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NEWARK, N.J. — Between fights, the rumors came fast and furious for Urijah Faber. Was he going to face Dominick Cruz in a grudge rematch? Was he going to coach the next season of The Ultimate Fighter? Maybe the UFC would match him up with a contemporary who once ruled WEC’s bantamweight title, Miguel Torres?

But when the time came, the decision was a wild card: Eddie Wineland.

The response from many fans was one word: Who?

Wineland is arguably one of the most anonymous of the former WEC champions who came over to the UFC, but it’s not for lack of effort or success. The Indiana-based fighter has had memorable knockouts in each of his last two fights, and has captured six of his last seven. By comparison, Faber is 3-3 in his last six fights. Despite that, Wineland is a massive underdog as both bantamweights make their UFC debuts.

Eddie Wineland Worth Laying the Dog Money at +330

Urijah Faber is the strong favorite at -430 (and some cases -500) against his opponent, Eddie Wineland but it’s hard to accept Wineland as such a huge underdog. The great part is, he’s definitely worth laying some cash on at a +300 or more value. Wineland is still a virtually unknown 135er but […]

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Urijah Faber is the strong favorite at -430 (and some cases -500) against his opponent, Eddie Wineland but it’s hard to accept Wineland as such a huge underdog. The great part is, he’s definitely worth laying some cash on at a +300 or more value. Wineland is still a virtually unknown 135er but he’s on a four fight win streak. Arguably, he hasn’t faced anywhere near top competition. The most recognizable name he’s beaten is George Roop who at 6′1″ with a natural weight of about 160, proved he couldn’t handle that low of a weight class.

But whether or not Wineland has faced top competition should be less of an issue, as we’ve seen Jon Jones tear apart competitors in both the lowest rankings and the top ten. This is Wineland’s first opportunity to mix it up with a well known fighter. Urijah Faber moved back down to Bantamweight and choked out Takeya Mizugaki within the first round, but was it enough to tell us he’s unstoppable in that division? The sportsbooks seem to think so, but the bottom line is we’ve got two strong wrestlers with demonstrated knockout powers pinned against each other this Saturday night and if you’re a betting person, Wineland is worth the gamble.

You can place your UFC 128 bets by clicking the icons for your favorite online sportsbooks in our Odds Side Bar to the right of our page.

Despite Making it to UFC, Eddie Wineland Sticking With Firefighter Job

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NEW YORK — MMA Fighting spoke to Eddie Wineland at Wednesday’s UFC 128 pre-fight press conference at Radio City Music Hall about getting a chance to fight in one of the biggest bantamweight fights ever against Urijah Faber, his UFC debut, the lack of attention he’s received going into the fight and whether he will ever leave his other full-time job as a firefighter.

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NEW YORK — MMA Fighting spoke to Eddie Wineland at Wednesday’s UFC 128 pre-fight press conference at Radio City Music Hall about getting a chance to fight in one of the biggest bantamweight fights ever against Urijah Faber, his UFC debut, the lack of attention he’s received going into the fight and whether he will ever leave his other full-time job as a firefighter.