Tag: Forrest Griffin

MMA Top 10 Light Heavyweights: Jon Jones Continues Division Dominance

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, Rankings, Light HeavyweightsThe UFC’s light heavyweight division has been so talented for so long that it’s been impossible in the last few years for anyone to stay on top for long. Rampage Jackson looked like a force whe…

Filed under: , , ,

The UFC‘s light heavyweight division has been so talented for so long that it’s been impossible in the last few years for anyone to stay on top for long. Rampage Jackson looked like a force when he took the belt from Chuck Liddell, but it wasn’t long before Forrest Griffin took the belt from Rampage. Rashad Evans then took the belt from Griffin, but Evans lost the belt in his first title defense — at what was supposed to be the dawn of the Lyoto Machida Era. Except that Machida promptly lost his belt to Shogun Rua.

Now we have Jon Jones at the top of the division, however, and I think the belt is going to stay in place for a long time. Jones has absolutely obliterated both Jackson and Rua, and now he’ll get another former champion in Evans — with, I believe, similar results.

So as we list the top light heavyweights in mixed martial arts, we’re looking at an extremely talented division. But a division with one unique talent that stands far above the rest.

Top 10 Light Heavyweights in MMA
 (Editor’s note: The fighter’s ranking the last time we did light heavyweights are in parentheses).

1. Jon Jones (1): There was never a moment during Jones’ victory over Jackson at UFC 135 that I even thought Jones was in the slightest bit of trouble. Jackson is a great fighter who appeared to be in good shape and ready for a big fight, but he simply wasn’t on Jones’s level. I don’t think anyone is.

2. Rashad Evans (2): Evans is finally close to the title shot that he’s been waiting on for more than a year, but I don’t think he has much of a chance of getting his belt back. Against Jackson, Jones did a great job of using his long legs to effectively fight at a distance, and if anything Jones will have an even greater reach advantage over Evans. It’s hard to see anywhere that Evans has an advantage over Jones. That title fight will not go well for Evans.

3. Shogun Rua (3): Shogun has a very big fight ahead of him against Dan Henderson at UFC 139, and if he wins that he’ll have a strong case that he’s the No. 2 light heavyweight in MMA. But given how thoroughly Jones beat Rua, it’s almost impossible to see the UFC giving Rua another shot at the title.

4. Lyoto Machida (4): Of all the light heavyweights in the sport, Machida is probably the one whose unorthodox stand-up style would present the greatest threat to Jones. If Machida wins his next fight, he’d make a lot of sense as an opponent for Jones in 2012.

5. Rampage Jackson (5): There have been times in Jackson’s career when it was fair to question his motivation and preparation, but UFC 135 was not one of those times. Jackson was well prepared for the Jones fight, he’s just nowhere near as good as Jones.

6. Dan Henderson (6): Henderson has left his Strikeforce light heavyweight title behind and will return to the Octagon to face Rua. A victory over Rua would give Henderson an excellent claim that he deserves a title shot against Jones, although as much respect as I have for Henderson I have an extremely hard time envisioning any way Henderson wins that fight.

7. Forrest Griffin (7): Griffin fights nothing but a who’s who of the all-time greats in the sport: His last seven fights consist of two battles with Shogun sandwiched around bouts against Rampage, Evans, Anderson Silva, Tito Ortiz and Rich Franklin. The biggest question for Griffin now is whether he wants to keep doing battle with the sport’s truly elite, or if now that he’s in his 30s and a husband and a father, he’d rather take a step down in quality of competition. Griffin will always be a fan favorite and a draw for the UFC, but he may no longer be prepared to fight in the upper echelon of the UFC’s light heavyweight division.

8. Rafael Cavalcante (10): Feijao looked very good in his victory over Yoel Romero Palacio on the September Strikeforce card. As long as he’s with Strikeforce, Feijao’s options for big fights are limited, but in the UFC there are any number of big fights for him at 205 pounds. MMA fans who just want to see the best fight the best should hope one of those big fights gets booked soon.

9. Phil Davis (8): The 27-year-old Davis was a great college wrestler who’s a lot of fun to watch, and he seems destined to take on Jones some day. The problem is that for as young and talented as Davis is, Jones is even younger and more talented.

10. Thiago Silva (9): We’re finally getting close to the end of Silva’s one-year suspension for taking performance-enhancing substances. I hope he’s stayed in shape and comes back hungry, because he’s a 28-year-old who’s a good enough striker that he can be a threat to anyone. He should be involved in some big light heavyweight fights in 2012.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Shogun On Possible Hendo Bout: ‘I Want This Fight’

(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMAInterviews.tv)

MMAInterviews.tv caught up with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua recently and had a chance to get the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s thought on a few subjects including his UFC 134 win over Forrest Griffin, a possible fight with Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Dan Henderson and who he would like to face if given the choice.

Shogun answered the questions himself utilizing his ever-improving English language skills, which he should be applauded for considering learning a completely different language than your native tongue is very difficult (ask Tito how hard it was to learn interview questions) and it will make him more marketable to those of us who aren’t old PRIDE fans.

Check out the transcription of the interview after the jump.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMAInterviews.tv)

MMAInterviews.tv caught up with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua recently and had a chance to get the former UFC light heavyweight champion’s thought on a few subjects including his UFC 134 win over Forrest Griffin, a possible fight with Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Dan Henderson and who he would like to face if given the choice.

Shogun answered the questions himself utilizing his ever-improving English language skills, which he should be applauded for considering learning a completely different language than your native tongue is very difficult (ask Tito how hard it was to learn interview questions) and it will make him more marketable to those of us who aren’t old PRIDE fans.

Here’s what Shogun had to say…

…about the Griffin fight:

“Forrest is a good fighter, but I trained hard for three months. I’m very happy with this win for my family, my team, my sponsors — everybody. I’m very happy because Forrest is a very good fighter and I lost in 2007. I trained hard. This fight for me was very motivating because I lost to Forrest and my team and I are very happy for this fight.”

…about whether or not he was healthy going into the fight:

“[My body] was very good. I was 100 percent for this fight. I don’t have problems with my knee [any] more. I was 100 percent for this fight.”

…about whether or not he was surprised at how easily he finished Forrest:

“No. This is MMA sport. My gloves [are] very, very small and a punch in the face is normal. I respect Forrest. He’s a very good guy — a good [person], but I’m very happy.”

…about whether or not he’s interested in a fight with Hendo:

“Many people want this fight [with] Henderson. Dan Henderson is a good guy. He’s a legend in MMA. I’m very happy to fight Dan Henderson. I want this fight.”

…about who he wants to fight next:

“I’m a professional fighter. I fight everyone. I don’t know. It’s [up to] my boss. No problem for me.”

 

 

Shogun Rua Says Forrest Cried Out for Stoppage at UFC 134

Apparently, Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua’s first-round drubbing of Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 was met with screams. But the cries in question weren’t coming from the sold-out crowd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.”When [Griffin…

Apparently, Former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua’s first-round drubbing of Forrest Griffin at UFC 134 was met with screams. But the cries in question weren’t coming from the sold-out crowd in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“When [Griffin] was laid out on his back, I heard him scream ‘stop! stop!,’ but I couldn’t stop hitting him,” Rua told RedeTV Esporte on Wednesday.

The win over Griffin helped Rua avenge a September 2007 loss and rebound from a recent TKO loss to current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Rua admits he didn’t want to take any chances with Griffin, who is known for his late-fight heroics. When he saw the opportunity to pounce, the Brazilian wasted no time putting an end to Griffin’s night.

“I managed to impose my strategy and my pace. Griffin is a top guy, always comes well-prepared to the fight with good conditioning,” said Rua. “I wanted to win badly. I trained so much and promised to myself that I would never come to perform in a fight 90 percent or 80 percent like previously. This is my focus today.”

A healthy and focused Rua is without a doubt one of the scariest 205-pound fighters on the planet.

Fans could see him back in action as early as December. There was interest from Rua’s camp in a potential bout against MMA legend Tito Ortiz, but it looks like “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” will instead face Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 140.

A rubber match with Lyoto Machida at UFC 141 seems like the most likely scenario.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Forrest Griffin: 6 Reasons He Should Consider Retirement

From his epic war with Stephan Bonnar to winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Quinton Jackson, Forrest Griffin has had an amazing career in mixed martial arts.During his time with the UFC, Griffin has put on many memorable performances a…

From his epic war with Stephan Bonnar to winning the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship from Quinton Jackson, Forrest Griffin has had an amazing career in mixed martial arts.

During his time with the UFC, Griffin has put on many memorable performances and accumulated a larger fan following than most fighters could even dream of.

He has been such a consistent presence in the UFC for so long now, that picturing the promotion without him seems strange.

But, all good things must come to an end.

At UFC 134, Griffin was knocked out by Mauricio Rua in under two minutes, putting him at 2-3 in his past five fights.

Indeed, it’s been while since we’ve seen Griffin put on a performance like he gave against Jackson to win the light heavyweight strap and it seems like the former champ is on the decline.

Here’s six reasons Forrest Griffin should be considering retirement right now…

Begin Slideshow

10 UFC Fighters Likely to Pursue a Career in Acting

Over the past several years, the UFC has displayed some of the greatest entertainment known to man. The sport allows fans to witness first hand, real-life excitement through fighting.The sport of MMA is filled with hundreds of different personalities a…

Over the past several years, the UFC has displayed some of the greatest entertainment known to man. The sport allows fans to witness first hand, real-life excitement through fighting.

The sport of MMA is filled with hundreds of different personalities attracting fans of all kinds. We’ve seen fighters who aren’t the slightest bit shy to say what they feel and we’ve seen fighters play the role of the silent assassin.

While these fighters are currently fulfilling a career in the UFC, what about after? The following slides display the Top 10 Fighters that could pursue a career in acting after their fighting careers are over.

Please sit back and enjoy.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 134 Medical Suspensions Released: Forrest Griffin out for 180 Days

Following UFC 134 this past weekend in Rio de Janeiro, 16 UFC fighters have been issued medical suspensions.Given that the country of Brazil lacks sanctioning for these matters, UFC parent company Zuffa LLC was forced to handle all suspensions and r…

Following UFC 134 this past weekend in Rio de Janeiro, 16 UFC fighters have been issued medical suspensions.

Given that the country of Brazil lacks sanctioning for these matters, UFC parent company Zuffa LLC was forced to handle all suspensions and regulatory processes.

The company has put forth a strict system, using some of the most knowledgeable doctors and regulators in the sport. They feel that their standard of regulation is on par with most major athletic commissions.

The full list of suspensions, courtesy of MixedMartialArts.com, is as follows:

 

Yushin Okami: Suspended 45 days with no contact during training for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Forrest Griffin: Suspended 180 days due to possible right-foot and jaw injuries, though he can be cleared early by a physician. Regardless, suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Ross Pearson: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Brendan Schaub: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Luiz Cane: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

Stanislav Nedkov: Suspended 180 days due to a possible nasal fracture, though he can be cleared early by a physician. Regardless, suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Thiago Tavares: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons.

Rousimar Palhares: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Dan Miller: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Raphael Assuncao: Suspended 180 days due to a possible nasal fracture, though he can be cleared early by a physician; regardless, suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

Erick Silva: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons.

Luis Ramos: Suspended 40 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Yuri Alcantara: Suspended seven days for precautionary reasons.

Felipe Arantes: Suspended 45 days with no contact for 30 days for precautionary reasons.

Yves Jabouin: Suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

Ian Loveland: Suspended 180 days due to a possible chest injury, though he can be cleared early by a physician; regardless, suspended 30 days with no contact for 21 days for precautionary reasons.

 

UFC 134 was the first UFC event held in Brazil in more than a decade and the promotion’s return was wildly successful, completely selling out in under an hour.

Due to the fond reception, Dana White has stated that the UFC will definitely be returning to Brazil in the future and that they’re going to do the event in a bigger stadium next time.

UFC 134 was headlined by Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami, with the UFC middleweight championship on the line. Silva defended the belt successfully in his homeland, TKOing Okami in the second round. In doing so, Silva broke his own records for most consecutive title defenses and most consecutive wins in the UFC.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com