Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Strikeforce, Bellator, LightweightsNo one can doubt Frankie Edgar anymore.
After Edgar beat B.J. Penn by unanimous decision in April, a lot of people believed that the fight was a fluke, that the judges erred, and that Penn wa…
After Edgar beat B.J. Penn by unanimous decision in April, a lot of people believed that the fight was a fluke, that the judges erred, and that Penn was still the best lightweight in mixed martial arts. But now that Edgar has defeated Penn once again at UFC 118, there’s no room for debate: Edgar is the undisputed champion.
Except that Edgar has one loss on his record, and that one loss is to Gray Maynard, who has been anointed the next challenger to Edgar’s title. Maynard could make a case that he deserves to be considered the top fighter in the division, but unless he makes that case again in the cage, I’m sticking with Edgar at No. 1. The rest of the rankings are below.
(Dunham and Escudero at UFC Fight Night 20. Tickets to the gun show are free, but nobody leaves without paying. Photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com)
Returning from a decision loss to Frank Edgar at UFC 98 and a year of injuries, Sean Sherk will…
(Dunham and Escudero at UFC Fight Night 20. Tickets to the gun show are free, but nobody leaves without paying. Photo courtesy of washingtonpost.com)
Returning from a decision loss to Frank Edgar at UFC 98 and a year of injuries, Sean Sherk will attempt to return to the Octagon (fingers crossed) at UFC 119 (September 25th, Indianapolis), where he’ll face undefeated rising star Evan Dunham. With a 4-0 record in the Octagon and big wins this year over Tyson Griffin and Efrain Escudero, Dunham may finally experience what it’s like to be a favorite against the former UFC lightweight champ. To be honest, Sherk isn’t much of a step up for Dunham, who soundly defeated Griffin last month, but it’s another solid opportunity for the 28-year-old Xtreme Couture product to build his name.
Sherk was supposed to return to action last October at UFC 104 against Gleison Tibau, but had to pull out due to a shoulder injury. He was rescheduled for a UFC 108 meeting against Jim Miller, but again withdrew after suffering a cut over his eye in training. In March, Sherk was slated to face Clay Guida at UFC on Versus 1. You can probably guess how that turned out.
MMA Junkie first reported the news on Wednesday, and MMA Fighting has confirmed from a source close to Sherk’s camp that the former UFC lightweight champion will be back on the Indianapolis card on Sept. 25.
Sherk (33-4-1, 7-4 UFC) last fought at UFC 98 in May 2009, where he lost a unanimous decision to future champion Frankie Edgar. Following the fight, in an odd turn of events, Sherk ran from the MGM Grand Garden Arena and was tracked down nearly a mile away, still needing to submit his post-fight urinalysis.
Unless your name is Phillip Miller, you can’t expect to go through a career in cage-fighting without losing at least once. So in honor of Fedor Emelianenko’s first legitimate defeat, we decided to take a look at the best MMA fighters who st…
Unless your name is Phillip Miller, you can’t expect to go through a career in cage-fighting without losing at least once. So in honor of Fedor Emelianenko’s first legitimate defeat, we decided to take a look at the best MMA fighters who still have flawless records. Whose “0” will be the next to go? And whose win streak is just getting started? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section…
#1: SHANE CARWIN (12-0, all wins by first-round stoppage) Notable victories: Gabriel Gonzaga at UFC 96 (TKO R1), Frank Mir at UFC 111 (TKO R1, won UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship) Next fight:Brock Lesnar at UFC 116, 7/3/10
He may very well take his first loss this Saturday, but right now, Shane Carwin is the most dangerous undefeated fighter in MMA — as evidenced by the fact that no opponent has made it to the second round against him, and only two have lasted past the second minute. As he immediately showed in his UFC debut against Christian Wellisch at UFC 84, Carwin has a near-supernatural ability to generate power with his 4XL fists. Though he’s backed by impressive wrestling credentials, he’s only needed those hands to achieve victory in the UFC, knocking out top contenders Gabriel Gonzaga and Frank Mir in his last two fights. Brock, get ready to have your chin tested.
#2: MEGUMI FUJII (20-0, 16 wins by submission) Notable victories: Lisa Ward at Bodog Fight: Vancouver (SUB R1), Mika Nagano at Smackgirl: Starting Over (SUB R1)
One of the most effective submission artists in the history of MMA, “Mega Megu” owns the longest active win streak in the sport, but suffers from the same problem that Cris Cyborg is facing in the States — a scarcity of legitimate challengers. Now that she’s signed on for Bellator’s 115-pound tourney later this year, she can prove her reputation as a living legend who can do more than armbar pint-sized scrubettes in Japan.
Filed under: UFCSo where does Evan Dunham fit into the UFC lightweight division, now that he has improved to 11-0 by defeating Tyson Griffin for his biggest victory to date? One UFC fighter who has fought for the lightweight belt twice believes Dunham …
So where does Evan Dunham fit into the UFC lightweight division, now that he has improved to 11-0 by defeating Tyson Griffin for his biggest victory to date? One UFC fighter who has fought for the lightweight belt twice believes Dunham is getting close to the top of the division. I think he’s right.
Kenny Florian said this week on ESPN’s MMA Live that he views Dunham as being one of the top lightweights in the sport.
It may have been overshadowed by Rich Franklin’s one-punch KO of Chuck Liddell at UFC 115 (it’s pretty hard to top the magnitude of that…Liddell was on Entourage after all…) but another of the card’s big stories was Evan Dunham’s decision win over Tyson Griffin, as it spoke volumes about the undefeated fighter’s potential. The Oregon […]
It may have been overshadowed by Rich Franklin’s one-punch KO of Chuck Liddell at UFC 115 (it’s pretty hard to top the magnitude of that…Liddell was on Entourage after all…) but another of the card’s big stories was Evan Dunham’s decision win over Tyson Griffin, as it spoke volumes about the undefeated fighter’s potential. The Oregon fighter has now gone 4-0 in the Octagon and also holds wins over TUF winner Efrain Escudero, Marcus Aurelio, and Per Eklund; people are starting to talk…
Now, if you haven’t closely monitored Dunham’s career and don’t want to take our word for it, consider what Kenny Florian said recently on ESPN’s MMA Live (thanks to MMA Fighting for the quote).
“Dunham beat one of the most successful lightweights out there, one of the toughest lightweights out there, and now he is an upper-echelon lightweight, no doubt about it,” Florian said.
Florian also credited Dunham for his jiu-jitsu and takedowns, praising the lightweight for his ability to take Griffin down (who knows a thing or two about wrestling) and controlling him there. In other words, based on the performance, it would appear as though Dunham has the tools to give a lot of guys trouble. Just a refresher, Griffin’s only other losses thus far in the UFC came against current champ Frankie Edgar, and former champ, Sean Sherk. Not bad.
Speaking of Florian, the UFC confirmed yesterday that, as expected, he’ll fight Gray Maynard, at UFC 118 in Boston. Wicked awesome no?
No one can doubt Frankie Edgar anymore.
After more than a year layoff, 
So where does 