What If? It was always one of my favorite comic books. As a reader, you knew that in a What If? book, anything goes. Characters you know and love could die. A hero could secretly be a villain. The world, in short, could turn topsy-turvy—with…
What If? It was always one of my favorite comic books. As a reader, you knew that in a What If? book, anything goes. Characters you know and love could die. A hero could secretly be a villain. The world, in short, could turn topsy-turvy—with no long-term consequences—in the blink of an eye.
In the spirit of the Mighty Marvel Marching Society, I’d like to play my own little game of “What if?” Let’s mine the depths of the UFC’s history and look for turning points that might have altered the sport as we know it, starting with UFC 1.
Nobody is unbeatable in the sport of mixed martial arts. Georges St. Pierre got caught by Matt Serra.Lyoto Machida’s darting style of counter-striking looked to be an impossible puzzle to solve…until Shogun pieced it together. And Rampage….
Nobody is unbeatable in the sport of mixed martial arts.
Georges St. Pierre got caught by Matt Serra.
Lyoto Machida’s darting style of counter-striking looked to be an impossible puzzle to solve…until Shogun pieced it together.
The reigning defending middleweight champion of the world has been a juggernaut in the UFC’s 185 lb. division since he made his promotional debut in 2006.
In his record nine title defenses, “The Spider” has been utterly dominant, scarcely dropping a round to his opponents.
So who can stop him?
The answer lies with the hottest middleweight prospect in the UFC and the man with the skillset to dethrone the champ.
That man is Chris Weidman.
Start the slideshow to see why he can squash “The Spider.”
The UFC rolled out what can be termed “Heavyweight Royalty” at the UFC 146 press conference today from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. President Dana White was on hand to answer questions and he was flanked on both sides by six of the biggest and badd…
The UFC rolled out what can be termed “Heavyweight Royalty” at the UFC 146 press conference today from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
President Dana White was on hand to answer questions and he was flanked on both sides by six of the biggest and baddest fighters on the planet. Top-10 UFC heavyweights Roy Nelson, Cain Velasquez, Junior Dos Santos, Alistair Overeem, Frank Mir and Antonio Silva were all in attendance to promote UFC 146, which will take place on May 26th from the same venue where they sat today.
The fighters on hand answered many different questions about their upcoming fights against each other and the new-and-improved depth in the heavyweight division. The May card is being billed as one of the best heavyweight fight cards in the history of the promotion.
World and UFC Champion Junior Dos Santos will defend his title against monster striker Alistair Overeem, while two former champions Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir will battle for the next shot at the title.
“After this card it will be interesting to see how it all shakes out,” President Dana White stated.
The event has an “Elimination Tournament” feel to it, with very intriguing consequences for the future of the division, although it wasn’t made that way by design.
“There are so may factors in making fights and this one just lined up as an all heavyweight card,” White said.
In a heavyweight fight, it is often feast or famine. You get a brief slug fest of fireworks ending in a devastating knockout or submission, or you get two tentative and out-of-shape men who are weary to engage.
A question was asked if having this many heavyweights on one card is a risky thing for the quality of entertainment that fans are expecting to see.
“There is a concern there, but if you look at the last few fights that these guys up here have had, they weren’t boring. Yes it’s possible, but not likely,” White acknowledged.
It is very true that fight fans have a particular obsession and admiration for the heavyweights of the sport. Fans rarely get more excited than they do leading up to an elite heavyweight clash.
Why is that? Why the popularity over the lighter and smaller divisions?
Each fighter at the table gave the obvious cookie-cutter answer that people like finishes and “heavyweight’s finish fights. People like the knockout.” While that is all very true, it was veteran Frank Mir who once again articulated it best.
“When a lot of fans see a 135-pound elite fighter, if you are a 220-pound man you are still thinking ‘I could still kick his ass,’ but we’re the heavyweights….if you are thinking that you are stupid,” Mir said.
Frank Mir often says it best, and I see him holding the title before 2012 is done.
Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA, MMA Editor at CKSN.ca and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.
Dan Henderson is being constantly pursued for a rematch with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.The two light heavyweight contenders competed in a highly competitive bout at UFC 139, which saw Henderson walk away with the victory. And according to UFC Presiden…
Dan Henderson is being constantly pursued for a rematch with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.
The two light heavyweight contenders competed in a highly competitive bout at UFC 139, which saw Henderson walk away with the victory.
And according to UFC President Dana White, Henderson has refused to match up with the Brazilian once again.
White spoke to Strikeforce commentator Mauro Ranallo at the UFC press conference last week in Calgary and said he attempted to put Henderson and Rua in the co-main event of UFC 149.
“Yeah, I was trying to put together Dan Henderson vs. Shogun II and Henderson doesn’t want to do the fight,” White said. “He wants Anderson Silva, if Silva wins, he will make that cut. Otherwise, he wants to fight the winner of Rashad and Jones.”
“If Dana said it then out must be true. Lol,” Henderson wrote.
Henderson has repeatedly stated he wants to challenge for a UFC championship, whether it is at 205 pounds or 185 pounds, and he said he would even hold out for the winner.
Henderson’s decision does not necessarily affect his status in the company, but it does prevent other fighters from competing for an opportunity at a title shot and makes the light heavyweight division become stagnant.
Considering Henderson’s age, he doesn’t intend on staying around in the sport much longer, so a title bout makes sense, especially while his stock is high.
Make no mistake, the biggest night in UFC history is June 23, 2012.Heavyweights may still rule the roost when it comes to drawing money and viewers, but no other fight in history has as much potential as the championship rematch between Anderson Silva …
Make no mistake, the biggest night in UFC history is June 23, 2012.
Heavyweights may still rule the roost when it comes to drawing money and viewers, but no other fight in history has as much potential as the championship rematch between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.
The backdrop is Joao Havelange Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Normally, this isn’t out of character for the UFC, as they travel to Brazil often and many other countries to broaden their fanbase. But, what makes this fight special is the dynamic between Silva and Sonnen.
Silva is the most talented fighter in UFC history and has outclassed every single one of his opponents in the Octagon, with the exception of Sonnen. When they fought in 2010, Sonnen frustrated “The Spider” with his wrestling for four-and-a-half rounds until Silva managed to catch him in a triangle choke with less than three minutes left in the fight.
What Sonnen brings to the table, besides his insane wresting skills, is a brash attitude that rubs many the wrong way. He has been known to get a hold of the microphone after a win and deliver what can only be described as a WWE-style promo. Consider Silva one of those who takes exception to the things that come out of Sonnen’s mouth. The normally soft-spoken Silva spoke to SporTV and had this to say:
“He disrespected our idols that made history in the world of sports, such as Lance Armstrong. This guy is complicated, he’s got personal issues.”
The location adds much intrigue to this fight as well. Brazil is the home country of Anderson Silva and Joao Havelange Stadium is a soccer stadium that holds roughly 45,000 fans for soccer matches, but the capacity will increase by thousands when the UFC comes in June.
Also, scheduled on the card is another long-awaited rematch featuring two Brazilian-born fighters. Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva will battle once again after engaging in a 44-second bout in 1998, in which Belfort knocked out Wanderlei abruptly.
Two huge fights featuring three fighters from Brazil are headlining this card in Rio de Janeiro, and the soccer-style fans there are considered a very rowdy bunch. When you add the loud antagonist Sonnen and the supremely skilled Silva to the mix it makes an amazing setting for what should be an outstanding card.
If we were scoring the war of words between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, the tally at this point would likely be somewhere in the vicinity of 238-2 in favor of Sonnen.Silva’s been quiet regarding Sonnen for much of the past two years, despite Chael…
If we were scoring the war of words between Chael Sonnen and Anderson Silva, the tally at this point would likely be somewhere in the vicinity of 238-2 in favor of Sonnen.
Silva’s been quiet regarding Sonnen for much of the past two years, despite Chael’s prolific trash-talking game being squarely pointed at the middleweight champion the entire time.
Silva doesn’t really grasp the concept of building and marketing fights. Either that, or as manager Ed Soares says in the Silva-focused documentary Like Water, he understands the concept and just doesn’t care.
The Spider has started to unleash a few verbal barbs here and there. On a recent UFC on FX broadcast, Silva told interviewer Ariel Helwani that Sonnen needed to stop running his mouth and start training.
“Why? Why is it I would do that? And by the way, Anderson, if I want your opinion I will beat it out of you.
“Dont walk around handing out free advice. Why don’t you find a sharpie marker and draw Steven Seagal’s widow peak on him. His hairline’s about as authentic as his fighting abilities…”
“I stomped you before and I will stomp you again…You can complain about your rib. I’m sure your rib did hurt. Your rib is inside of a coward.”
“Your rib is inside of a coward” might be my new favorite Sonnen saying. At the very least, it’s up there with the greatest Sonnen-isms of the past two years.
The UFC rolled out what can be termed “Heavyweight Royalty” at the