Frankie Edgar put on another epic performance at UFC 144, but it wasn’t enough for him to retain his title this time, as Benson Henderson captured the lightweight title in a narrow decision.Now, the former champion will have to make some decisions on w…
Frankie Edgar put on another epic performance at UFC 144, but it wasn’t enough for him to retain his title this time, as Benson Henderson captured the lightweight title in a narrow decision.
Now, the former champion will have to make some decisions on what the future will hold for him. While Edgar seemed to shrug off questions about moving to featherweight after the loss, UFC president Dana White was all for the idea.
“I’ve been asking him to go to 145 for a long time,” White said at the UFC 144 post-fight press conference. “I would love to see him move to 145. I think he’d a force to be reckoned with there, and I think he’ll be a great challenge for Jose Aldo.”
After such a close fight, a rematch with Henderson could be an option for Edgar, but White hinted at giving former WEC champion Anthony Pettis the next shot at the 155-pound title.
Let’s take a look at what should be next for Edgar and the rest of the UFC 144 competitors.
UFC 144 had it all––shocking upsets, dramatic comebacks, highlight-reel finishes and an early “Fight of the Year” candidate.On Saturday night, the UFC treated Pride’s former stomping grounds at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan to a…
UFC 144 had it all––shocking upsets, dramatic comebacks, highlight-reel finishes and an early “Fight of the Year” candidate.
On Saturday night, the UFC treated Pride’s former stomping grounds at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan to a show that could eclipse every other event lined up this year.
UFC 144 represents a moment of triumph for UFC President Dana White and Zuffa owners Lorenzo and Frank Fertitta.
It wasn’t too long ago that Pride Fighting Championships was considered the pinnacle of MMA. Who could ever forget the UFC’s feeble attempt to buck the Japanese juggernaut with UFC 25: Ultimate Japan, an event that receiver rather abysmal numbers?
Seven years after UFC 25, White and the Fertittas announced the UFC’s purchase of Pride.
UFC 144 represented the first UFC event in Japan in more than a decade. There weren’t any elaborate entrances, screaming ladies or falling confetti. It was just the UFC. After all of the struggles and sacrifices that White and the Fertitta endured, the UFC stood its ground in Japan as the modern-day pinnacle of MMA.
As we credit the UFC president and owners for a successful organization, we have to credit the fighters for a successful event. With a seven-fight main card, the UFC delivered an intriguing event that captivated fans all around the world.
The lightweight title fight between Frankie Edgar and Benson Henderson is already being dubbed as an early “Fight of the Year” candidate. Ryan Bader shocked the world in a lopsided unanimous decision victory over former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.
Former Pride superstar Mark Hunt’s jarring knockout win over Cheick Kongo brought back a sense of nostalgia from his early days in Japan. Yoshihiro Akiyama put forth one of the best performances of his UFC career, despite losing a unanimous decision to Jake Shields.
After getting picked apart for two rounds, Tim Boetsch stormed back in the third and finished former title contender Yushin Okami in stunning fashion. Hatsu Hioki likely locked up a future featherweight title shot with an exciting display of striking and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in his decision win over Bart Palaszewski.
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis did what he did best against Joe Lauzon. He knocked out the Massachusetts native in the first round with one of his patented kicks.
UFC 144 will likely be the talk of the town until the promotion returns to The Land of the Rising Sun. If there are any more events where this one came from, 2012 could go down as one of the most memorable years in the history of the sport.
Mark Hunt (now 8-7 with four wins by KO) and Cheick Kongo (now 17-7 with 10 KO wins) are two of the most powerful strikers ever in UFC history, and when they collide, someone’s got to fall. And so it happened, one came crashing down to the canvas…
Mark Hunt (now 8-7 with four wins by KO) and Cheick Kongo (now 17-7 with 10 KO wins) are two of the most powerful strikers ever in UFC history, and when they collide, someone’s got to fall.
And so it happened, one came crashing down to the canvas, utterly unable to recover immediately to return the favor on the same night of UFC 144 in Saitama, Japan.
Hunt hunted in the Kongo and returned speechless. Well, we can be certain that he himself was awed by his own devastating performance, but it also appeared he “ran out of words” during the post-fight interview with announcer Joe Rogan mainly because he’s just like that.
Here’s how the Super Samoan’s brief hunting foray went in the first and only round of his main card fight inside the Octagon last night.
The Frenchman scored the first significant strike with a low kick, then rushed the Samoan against the mesh wall. Hunt managed to reverse their position and Kongo broke free. Hunt attempted overhand rights while Kongo kept throwing leg kicks. A left hook landed on Kongo, followed up by a low kick. Then, Kongo fell down from Hunt’s counterpunch, but he was able to stand up again sans any follow-up attack from the Samoan. However, that was Kongo’s last chance to stand, literally and figuratively.
Next, Hunt cornered him against the fence and pounded on him with right hands till he slumped to the canvas, and Herb Dean mercifully stopped the fight and punishment at 2:11 of the first round.
Hunt now successfully notched his third straight UFC win. It would be interesting to see how he’ll fare with another heavy-handed fighter with whom he shares the same “chubby” build: Roy “Big Country” Nelson, who scored nine KO wins in his 16-7 MMA record. (We have to admit, though, that Nelson’s been working on it and getting sexier by the minute. See the emerging abs here, no?)
With excitement building about his return to Japan, Rampage Jackson caused alarm for his fans by missing weight for UFC 144. From there, it only got worse. He went on to lose his scheduled scrap with Ryan Bader and leaving Dana White wringing his hands…
With excitement building about his return to Japan, Rampage Jackson caused alarm for his fans by missing weight for UFC 144.
From there, it only got worse.
He went on to lose his scheduled scrap with Ryan Bader and leaving Dana White wringing his hands over losing one of his bankable light heavyweights.
The loss—his second in a row—combined with his routine talk of retirement, left many people with questions. Some of which include:
We’ve all seen them. They wear TapouT or Affliction shirts, “watch UFC,” only know the big name fighters and get bored when fights go to the ground.There are reasons why these people (the much-maligned “casual fans”, as they are called) are worthy of r…
We’ve all seen them. They wear TapouT or Affliction shirts, “watch UFC,” only know the big name fighters and get bored when fights go to the ground.
There are reasons why these people (the much-maligned “casual fans”, as they are called) are worthy of reproach, and there are reasons why they be treated like kings.
They are reprehensible because they don’t have a true understanding of the sport; they don’t enjoy it on as many levels as “hardcore” fans do. That is to say that a casual fan watches just to see violence while a hardcore fan watches to see the human chess match that is mixed martial arts.
This propensity toward seeking violence is perhaps why the casual fan is such a problem. They only want to see action, they only want to see a brawl. And they sure are vocal about it.
Go to a bar showing a UFC event and you’ll be able to pick out the casual fans by how they act and what they say.
It’s also possible that casual fans only watch the UFC and wear MMA “lifestyle” brands to elevate their own sense of self-esteem or perceived societal standing; wearing a standard T-shirt doesn’t convey the same message as wearing a $60 shirt with ornate depictions of skulls, wings, and other manly symbols.
However, the casual fan, for all his lack of knowledge, has one important thing: Money.
The money of the casual fans isn’t something that can be ignored.
Look at the growth of the UFC and MMA after the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter”. The show created the casual fan (as well as an insult on MMA forums, TUF noobs, as people who came to MMA from The Ultimate Fighter were pejoratively known as, or sometimes TUFers), and in doing so created a societal niche for the UFC that didn’t previously exist.
The UFC now had a presence in culture, thanks to the casual fan who wasn’t “loyal” to the sport and didn’t painstakingly hunt for Pride video tapes or watch UFC 1. This created resentment in MMA fandom that still exists until this day.
For example, some MMA forums judge your worth by your join date. The earlier your join date, the more respected you are since you have been a verifiable MMA fan for longer. While a more recent join date is seen as a bad thing. “The Underground” even uses it as an insult, insulting some posters by calling them an “11er” or a “10er”
The vast division between the casual and hardcore fan is a product of the UFC and MMA’s unique upbringing. While MMA and the UFC were growing up, so too was the Internet. Thus, “hardcore” fans had places to congregate en masse and these places were eventually “ruined” by the hordes of casual fans.
While casual fans may annoy the hardcore fans and sometimes matchmaking might be tailored towards the casual fan, the casual fan is the foundation on which the current expansion of the UFC is built.
The casual fan may not train, may not know that much about MMA, and may be bored by the ground game but their money is still good, and money makes the sport go ’round. Fighters can get paid more and the UFC can have insurance because there are now legions of casual fans ready to part with their cash upon hearing “GSP” (or formerly “Lesnar” but he’s now retired).
The hardcore fans may have kept the sport alive in the dark ages but it’s thanks to the casual fan that the sport will enter a golden age.
Yoshihiro Akiyama may have not come out on top at UFC 144 but it won’t be the last time we see “Sexyama” inside the UFC’s Octagon.
Akiyama impressed many fans in his welterweight debut by showcasing good takedown defense along with some improved condit…
Yoshihiro Akiyama may have not come out on top at UFC 144 but it won’t be the last time we see “Sexyama” inside the UFC’s Octagon.
Akiyama impressed many fans in his welterweight debut by showcasing good takedown defense along with some improved conditioning.
A match-up that would provide fans with an exciting show would be against Diego Sanchez. Both men are coming off decision losses and both men are known for their exciting, fan-friendly styles. So how do these two welterweight stars match up?
Mark Hunt (now 8-7 with four wins by KO) and Cheick Kongo (now 17-7 with 10 KO wins) are two of the most powerful strikers ever in UFC history, and when they collide, someone’s got to fall.