In case you were somehow sleeping on UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis II, which takes place August 31st in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, don’t. The card is relatively stacked and the new extended UFC 164 video preview gives you a sneak peak at the night’s two biggest bouts — a lightweight title rematch between champion Benson Henderson (who is rocking a Jon Jones-esque terrorist beard these days) and Anthony Pettis and a heavyweight submission artist clash between former champions Frank Mir and Josh Barnett.
If you’ve watched the UFC for more than 10 years and enjoy living in that past (I know, too on point, is it not?), you’ve got to be pretty geeked about Mir vs. Barnett. Both men are behemoths that somehow possess slick ground skills. Both men are also charismatic and skilled shit-stirrers that became champions at an early age and have managed to remain competitive at the highest levels for over a decade. Will this match up be a test of who has the better Jitz (Mir, after all, does threaten to “drown” Barnett with his submission game in the above video, whatever that means) or will their grappling skills cancel each other out and turn Mir vs. Barnett into a slugfest? I HAVE NO IDEA BUT WATCH THIS ANYWAY.
In case you were somehow sleeping on UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis II, which takes place August 31st in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, don’t. The card is relatively stacked and the new extended UFC 164 video preview gives you a sneak peak at the night’s two biggest bouts — a lightweight title rematch between champion Benson Henderson (who is rocking a Jon Jones-esque terrorist beard these days) and Anthony Pettis and a heavyweight submission artist clash between former champions Frank Mir and Josh Barnett.
If you’ve watched the UFC for more than 10 years and enjoy living in that past (I know, too on point, is it not?), you’ve got to be pretty geeked about Mir vs. Barnett. Both men are behemoths that somehow possess slick ground skills. Both men are also charismatic and skilled shit-stirrers that became champions at an early age and have managed to remain competitive at the highest levels for over a decade. Will this match up be a test of who has the better Jitz (Mir, after all, does threaten to “drown” Barnett with his submission game in the above video, whatever that means) or will their grappling skills cancel each other out and turn Mir vs. Barnett into a slugfest? I HAVE NO IDEA BUT WATCH THIS ANYWAY.
UFC 164′s main event between Henderson and Pettis is a rematch of their late 2010 WEC title bout that featured a kick none of you have probably ever seen or heard about. And honestly, the setting is pretty much same, with Henderson playing the role of the reigning champion and Pettis trying to once again steal his crown in dramatic fashion.
Since losing a close decision to Pettis, Henderson has looked impressive in winning several (seven, to be exact) close decisions against some of the world’s best. Pettis, on the other hand, has won seven out of his last eight fights including his last three — two of those by way of KO.
Milwaukee is Pettis’ hometown and we will soon find out if fighting there for the belt will lift him up or if the pressure will become a burden. Do you think Pettis has what it takes to take out Henderson again, nation, or do you think Henderson has improved enough to even the score with the challenger?
Only two fights into his professional career Frank Mir joined the UFC at age 22, and it didn’t take him long to be noticed by heavyweights with a whole lot more experience.
Mir’s career trajectory didn’t take him directly to a title shot, but after a l…
Only two fights into his professional career Frank Mir joined the UFC at age 22, and it didn’t take him long to be noticed by heavyweights with a whole lot more experience.
Mir’s career trajectory didn’t take him directly to a title shot, but after a loss to Ian Freeman in his fifth pro fight, he learned a valuable lesson and came back a much better fighter.
Mir finally captured the UFC heavyweight title in 2004 when he literally snapped Tim Sylvia’s arm to win the belt in one of the most memorable stoppages in MMA history.
Since that moment, Mir has competed for either the UFC heavyweight title or the interim UFC heavyweight title a total of four more times. He captured the interim belt on one other occasion, but hasn’t been able to reach the top of the mountain again since his initial run back in 2004.
Now as he enters his bout against former UFC champion Josh Barnett at UFC 164, Mir will for the first time ever look to stop a two fight-losing streak, while maintaining his standing in the division.
Mir may have competed for the UFC heavyweight title just two fights ago, but as the losses mount and his inability to win the gold again haunts him, he’s entering the fight with Barnett facing a bit of uncertainty in his career.
While some former champions are able to move forward and no longer focus on the belt, Mir just can’t become one of those guys.
“I don’t concede the fact of just trying to put on great fights,” Mir said during a UFC conference call on Tuesday. “Obviously the outcome of my drive is to work back towards the title. I don’t see it as a situation where that’s no longer within my grasp.”
Mir has consistently been ranked near the top of the heavyweight division for most of his UFC career, but his recent losses in title fights coupled with a growing division full of contenders pushes him further and further to the fringe.
No matter what the rest of the top 10 looks like, Mir isn’t ready to give up on the chance to fight for a belt again.
People have counted him out in the past, for instance when a motorcycle crash nearly ended his career and put Mir on the shelf for almost two years. When he returned, Mir lost two out of his next three fights, and it seemed he was no longer an elite fighter.
Mir didn’t give up, and was able to battle back, winning his next three fights in a row while taking home the interim UFC title along the way.
So if that was Mir version 2.0, consider this a third restart when everyone is counting him out after two straight losses. He’s not giving up on his dream of becoming champion again, and he refuses to believe it’s out of reach.
“The training I’m doing now, where I’m at in life, being only 34 years of age, I don’t really see it as an issue to concede to the fact that ‘oh I’m only going to fight to be an entertaining fight, just added onto a card’,” Mir said. “That’s just not where I’m at in my life.”
A win at UFC 164 over a fighter like Barnett will go a long way to proving Mir is still relevant in the heavyweight division title picture. A loss, however, would be devastating, marking three defeats in a row.
Mir’s real title fight might just be avoiding the label of gatekeeper, and he has the chance to do that next Saturday night in Milwaukee.
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
By the time Josh Barnett steps into the Octagon at UFC 164, more than 10 years will have passed between appearances.
Barnett started out in the UFC heavyweight division in the dark days of MMA when the promotion was struggling to find a foothold after …
By the time Josh Barnett steps into the Octagon at UFC 164, more than 10 years will have passed between appearances.
Barnett started out in the UFC heavyweight division in the dark days of MMA when the promotion was struggling to find a foothold after being banned in several states, and removed from pay-per-view.
He stuck around long enough to see ZuffaLLC buy out the UFC, and made it all the way to the heavyweight title before leaving the organization in 2002. Barnett never got the chance to defend the belt because he was stripped of the title after testing positive for a banned substance after the fight, although he battled in an appeal with the Nevada State Athletic Commission and maintains his innocence to this day.
Two years later the belt passed to a young gun named Frank Mir, and he was considered the new embodiment of grappling excellence in the UFC.
Because both fighters were known as submission artists, Barnett and Mir continued to be mentioned in the same circles over the better part of the next decade. Despite their apparent similarities, however, Barnett doesn’t buy into the idea that he and Mir were always on the same career path and just never happened to meet before now.
When Barnett left the UFC and ended up in Japan as part of Pride Fighting Championships, the heavyweight division there—not in the Octagon—was considered the real cream of the crop in MMA.
“I think we’ve always kind of been in different places for both of our careers really,” Barnett said when speaking to MMA’s Great Debate Radio. “Even when he was fighting for titles, no one ever took my belt from me, so I don’t what belt they were putting around (his waist) but that wasn’t the UFC heavyweight title as far as I was concerned.
“I was in Pride fighting the universally recognized top dudes in the world at the time. I come back to the UFC, and the UFC is now the premiere place to be for mixed martial arts in the world, but at this point Frank’s best days have already occurred.”
Both Mir and Barnett have shared space in the MMA top-10 rankings for most of the last 10 years as well—a rare feat in this sport where fighters come and go quite often and don’t usually stick around at the top of a division for that long.
According to the current UFC rankings, Mir is listed at No. 6 while Barnett is slotted in at No. 10. Barnett has always done his best to avoid the entire discussion around rankings because ultimately it’s a subjective list, but deep down he can admit there is a fire that gets lit when he sees certain fighters put ahead of him.
“I don’t really care too much about rankings,” Barnett said. “I definitely didn’t get obsessed with it when I saw how biased they were, especially after being out of the UFC. There’s a little part when you see it that’s like ‘That idiot thinks that, really?’. It gives you that much more motivation when you’re in there and getting your workouts done.”
When it comes to his next opponent, Barnett believes that Mir’s constant standing in the rankings has come more from him being in the UFC than actually beating the best fighters in the world while still in their primes, but he’s excited to see just what he’s all about when they face off in the Octagon.
“I’ve got to be honest, a lot of Frank’s relevancy was based on being in the UFC,” Barnett said. “That’s the way I see it. I want to how much potential there really is there by fighting him.”
Barnett knows going into the fight that Mir’s best weapon is his devastating Brazilian jiu-jitsu game. Out of his 16 career wins, Mir has submitted nine past opponents, and was the first person to ever finish Pride legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by submission.
His record speaks for itself, but Barnett says for all the accomplishments that Mir has had, he’s never faced a fighter like him.
“I don’t think he’s going to be able to find any training partners that can grapple the way I do” Barnett said. “Even still, I believe when it does hit the ground I can shut down his offense and make him pay for being underneath.”
A win for Barnett would immediately put him into title discussion for a number of reasons beyond just beating a former UFC champion like Mir.
With Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos already matched up at UFC 166 to conclude their trilogy of fights, the division doesn’t have a clear cut contender sitting in the top spot for the next title shot.
Former Strikeforce fighter Fabricio Werdum seems like the most likely candidate, but the UFC has yet to guarantee him or anyone else for that matter as the next person in line for a shot at the belt. Travis Browne also entered the conversation with his win over Alistair Overeem last weekend at UFC Fight Night 26.
Still, Barnett’s history, record and pedigree make him an interesting entry into title discussions and while it’s virtually impossible to think he’d get a shot at the belt after a win over Mir, his name will be tossed into contention.
Once Barnett’s foot is in the door, it’s hard to keep him from kicking it down, and he’s looking forward to making his first UFC title defense. Yes, you read that correct—since Barnett never lost the UFC heavyweight title in a fight, he believes whoever he faces for the gold now will be competing for the real championship.
“For me if I’m issued a title shot, when I walk in the ring in my mind, I’m not fighting to win the UFC championship—I’m actually making my first title defense,” Barnett said. “That’s the way I see it.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
(How fucked up is it that *this* is the #1 search result when you type “Roy Nelson clean shaven” into Google? Photo via Getty.)
In the weeks leading up to his scrap with Stipe Miocic at UFC 161, it appeared as if Roy Nelson would be headed for the greener pastures of an MMA promotion that wasn’t run by a guy who hates his fat ass. In the days following Nelson’s three round trouncing at the hands of Miocic, it was the general consensus that Bellator was a CHICK’N Crisp sandwich away from luring in one of MMA’s top heavyweights at a steal of a price. So how does Nelson now find himself in line to fight Daniel Cormier, a former Strikeforce champion who is coming off a (tepid) win over Frank Mir in his UFC debut?
Perhaps we should step back for a second. You see, prior to UFC 161, Nelson had strung together a nice little three-fight win streak (all via KO) and was looking to break himself off a piece of that Daniel Cormier hype. Imploring the classic UFC strategy of declaring that the fight “wouldn’t make sense,” then trying to turn it into a #1 contender fight for another division’s title, then bringing race into the equation, Nelson was able to successfully troll his way into a fight with Cormier despite coming off a loss. Huzzah! The likelihood of this fight coming to fruition is all dependent, of course, on how Nelson’s contract negotiations with the UFC go, according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.
Then again, you could argue that Nelson was more impressive in defeat than Cormier was in victory based purely on the amount of shots he was able to absorb without being knocked out. It would be an insane argument to make, but hey, Tim Sylvia would probably have your back. In either case, the pair is tentatively set to throw down at UFC 166, which goes down on October 19th in Houston, Texas.
In other fight booking news…
(How fucked up is it that *this* is the #1 search result when you type “Roy Nelson clean shaven” into Google? Photo via Getty.)
In the weeks leading up to his scrap with Stipe Miocic at UFC 161, it appeared as if Roy Nelson would be headed for the greener pastures of an MMA promotion that wasn’t run by a guy who hates his fat ass. In the days following Nelson’s three round trouncing at the hands of Miocic, it was the general consensus that Bellator was a CHICK’N Crisp sandwich away from luring in one of MMA’s top heavyweights at a steal of a price. So how does Nelson now find himself in line to fight Daniel Cormier, a former Strikeforce champion who is coming off a (tepid) win over Frank Mir in his UFC debut?
Perhaps we should step back for a second. You see, prior to UFC 161, Nelson had strung together a nice little three-fight win streak (all via KO) and was looking to break himself off a piece of that Daniel Cormier hype. Imploring the classic UFC strategy of declaring that the fight “wouldn’t make sense,” then trying to turn it into a #1 contender fight for another division’s title, then bringing race into the equation, Nelson was able to successfully troll his way into a fight with Cormier despite coming off a loss. Huzzah! The likelihood of this fight coming to fruition is all dependent, of course, on how Nelson’s contract negotiations with the UFC go, according to Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports.
Then again, you could argue that Nelson was more impressive in defeat than Cormier was in victory based purely on the amount of shots he was able to absorb without being knocked out. It would be an insane argument to make, but hey, Tim Sylvia would probably have your back. In either case, the pair is tentatively set to throw down at UFC 166, which goes down on October 19th in Houston, Texas.
In other fight booking news…
Fresh off a first round submission of fellow TUF 17 castmember Adam Cella at UFC on FUEL 9, Tor Troeng has been booked to take on Rafael Natal at UFC on FOX Sports 1:3. Since getting KTFO by Andrew Craig at UFC on FUEL 4, Natal has scored back-to-back wins over a couple of UFC newbies at UFC on FOX 6 and UFC on FX 8. When aliens are trying to piece together human history after it has been wiped off the face of the earth, do you think they’ll wonder why we insisted on making our UFC events as indistinguishable from one another as possible? COMING SOON, UFC on FOFX 1: 00101101 — Velasquez vs. Dos Santos IV (part II). Prelims to be broadcast on FUELbook.
A good finish to a fight is better than almost any decision. A knockout or submission provides a sense of totality and closure to a bout. It is what each MMA fan secretly craves, even if he or she pretends an exciting decision is “just as good.&r…
A good finish to a fight is better than almost any decision. A knockout or submission provides a sense of totality and closure to a bout. It is what each MMA fan secretly craves, even if he or she pretends an exciting decision is “just as good.”
Data collected from FightMatrix.com allows us to look at finishing rates for the participating members of UFC 161, as well as more broad numbers from across the divisions.
(All statistics are compiled by the author via Fightmatrix.com and cross-referenced with Sherdog’s Fight Finder function)
It’s been more than a decade since Josh Barnett last competed in the UFC, but now with a new multi-fight deal in place, it’s time for “The Warmaster” to go home again. For years, Barnett has been one of the elite heavyweights in MMA, but always found h…
It’s been more than a decade since Josh Barnett last competed in the UFC, but now with a new multi-fight deal in place, it’s time for “The Warmaster” to go home again.
For years, Barnett has been one of the elite heavyweights in MMA, but always found himself on the outside looking in when compared to the top fighters in the UFC because he wasn’t competing there.
While the veteran fighter was pursued by several other organizations, ultimately the UFC was the spot Barnett always wanted to be, and now he gets to stake his claim as one of the best fighters in the sport while proving it on the biggest stage possible.
“I would lying if I didn’t say that being in the UFC is the biggest show available, it’s the one that’s going to make the most impact,” Barnett told Bleacher Report on Thursday.“I’m trying to be champion of the world, being anything less than the UFC heavyweight champion just doesn’t have the same ring.”
Prior to signing with the UFC last week, Barnett mentioned in an interview with Bleacher Report that the name that made the most sense for his return to the Octagon would be a showdown against fellow former champion Frank Mir.
Much to his surprise, Barnett found out just days ago that not only would he actually get to face Mir in his UFC return, but it was the former heavyweight champion who requested the bout with him at UFC 164 in Milwaukee.
“I don’t think Frank is the kind of guy that’s afraid of fighting anyone.He’s gone in there and broke a guy’s arm, he’s gone in there and practically seen his life flash before his eyes,” Barnett said about Mir.“He knows the deal, this is nothing new to him.He’s not going to sweat it.At the same time he wants to go out and test himself, and he wants to fight the people that are going to take him further along in his career and closer to the gold again.He knows it’s a big fight and I’m sure all the people that are telling me they wanted to see me fight Frank Mir for so long, they’ve been telling him the exact same thing on my behalf.It just worked out perfectly.
“I kind of like that somebody deliberately asked to fight me because that’s a very rare thing.”
Before the fight between the two heavyweight submission specialists was made official, Mir said in an interview with El Octagono that he thought a fight against Barnett would be “phenomenal” and something the fans would really enjoy.
He also didn’t mind mentioning Barnett’s proclivity to use his ground game, and Mir welcomed the challenge, although he didn’t expect his opponent to feel the same way once they got on the mat together.
“I think he’s not afraid to grapple with me,” Mir said. “Which I think would be one of his downfalls.”
Barnett could only smile when he heard about Mir’s comments because it will make the victory at UFC 164 just that much sweeter.
“I like a man that’s confident in his abilities and believes in himself when he gets out there and thinks he possesses the best weapons to bring to this battle, but that just makes it even better when you go out there and show them how wrong they are,” Barnett stated.“He’s not going to try and lay and pray me, I know that for a fact.I’m looking forward to that. I’d rather go out there with someone whose trying to kill me, than try to beat me by decision.The idea of him trying to take me down is great.I live for that.”
Mir is famous for pre-fight banter where he threatens to go home with an opponent’s arm or leg, depending on which submission he happens to catch.Mir has backed up his talk in several past fights, including when he won the UFC heavyweight title by snapping former champion Tim Sylvia’s arm, or more recently at UFC 140 when he broke Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira’s arm in the Octagon.
This time around, Barnett warns Mir that it might be him that goes home with an ailing limb.
“He’s been the one that’s been sitting back and talking about taking limbs home,” Barnett stated.“He’s going to have to watch out for his own right now.”
The show is just getting rolling between these two heavyweight icons and it’s only likely to get better between now and when UFC 164 actually happens in August.Barnett has a skill to promote a fight like few do in the MMA world, and he’s got an opponent that gives as good as he gets.
One thing Barnett knows for sure is that when his walkout song courtesy of his favorite band Bolt Thrower hits the speakers, and the crowd in Milwaukee is on their feet, he will give them a show for the ages.
“Whatever he leaves behind, I’m going to take.To the spoils of war always go to the victor, whatever’s left is mine to claim,” Barnett said about Mir. “The Warmaster is setting a black crusade upon the UFC again.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.
Only two fights into his professional career 
