Jeremy Stephens vs. Anthony Pettis is one of the most interesting forth-coming matchups in the UFC’s lightweight division and it has the potential to be one of the most exciting fights of 2011.Pettis is a relatively new addition to the UFC roster, but …
Jeremy Stephens vs. Anthony Pettis is one of the most interesting forth-coming matchups in the UFC’s lightweight division and it has the potential to be one of the most exciting fights of 2011.
Pettis is a relatively new addition to the UFC roster, but is known well throughout the world for being last WEC lightweight champion and—of course—for his famed Showtime Kick.
Despite all the momentum he had going when he entered the UFC, Pettis had an unsuccessful debut, losing a unanimous decision to Clay Guida.
Pettis now looks to bounce back and once again establish himself as a title contender.
The man standing in his way is Jeremy Stephens, who has been with the UFC for four years now, but never managed to establish himself as anything more than a gatekeeper.
This fight is essentially a matchup between a technical striker in Pettis and a brawler in Stephens.
Stephens has never had particularly technical or proficient striking, but he makes up for it with his vicious power.
Pettis has a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo and is technical on his feet, but also unpredictable.
In the past, we have seen Stephens struggle against technical strikers like Spencer Fisher, Melvin Guillard and Marcus Davis—Stephens beat Davis, but was losing the fight decisively before getting the KO in the third round.
Ultimately, I believe that speed and technique will triumph over brute force in this one.
Pettis will be able to use his footwork and superior stand up to keep Stephens off balance and uncomfortable.
Stephens has hung in there with some heavy handed guys before, so I don`t see Pettis finishing it, but he`ll do enough to snag the decision.
If he lands one clean power shot, Stephens can win this fight, but I don`t think he`ll pull it off.
Anthony Pettis wins this fight via unanimous decision
Kenny Florian has seemingly had more title shots than WWE superstar John Cena. Will the third time be the charm? Can Florian get over the hump and finally win a world title?The world will find out when he takes on UFC featherweight champion and top thr…
Kenny Florian has seemingly had more title shots than WWE superstar John Cena. Will the third time be the charm? Can Florian get over the hump and finally win a world title?
The world will find out when he takes on UFC featherweight champion and top three pound-for-pound standout Jose Aldo.
Fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Aldo has left a path of destruction in the featherweight division. He made world class fighters like Urijah Faber, Mike Brown and Manny Gamburyan look like they didn’t even belong in the same octagon as him.
A world class grappler and a phenomenal striker, Aldo’s entire skill set is still somewhat of a mystery. He showcased explosive takedowns in his UFC 129 routing of Mark Hominick.
Wrestling has been the Achilles heel for Florian throughout his MMA career. Despite being a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Florian’s submission skills are more effective from an offensive position. He hasn’t shown the ability to work well off his back against imposing grapplers.
Unless he’s the one initiating takedowns, the Massachusetts native wants to keep this bout standing and try to best the exchanges.
The standup battle will definitely be interesting in this bout. Florian has a solid chin, great footwork, a deep understanding of range and pinpoint accuracy. He will be the most technical striker Aldo has faced thus far in his seven-year career.
With that said, Aldo is a wrecking ball hell-bent on destroying everything in his path.
While Florian certainly presents a unique and formidable challenge to the UFC champion, it’s hard to believe he has the skill set needed to debunk a guy like Aldo.
People tend to think of guys like Chad Mendes, Tyson Griffin and Hatsu Hioki, when considering legitimate threats to Aldo’s title reign.
This isn’t an attempt to minimize Florian’s chances. He has a serious shot to take Aldo in an upset. As stated earlier, there are still some question marks in Aldo’s game. If Aldo has a cardio meltdown like he did against Hominick, Florian won’t be as forgiving.
Fans can expect a brilliant display of technical striking in this bout. Eventually, Aldo will begin changing levels to exploit Florian’s wrestling. It’ll be a hard fought and well-rounded effort for Aldo as he takes home the unanimous decision and retains his UFC title.
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis closed out the WEC organization’s existence with a bang and a loud announcement: I’m a threat to anyone and I will end fights in a spectacular fashion. Since capturing the WEC lightweight championship at WEC 53 with the k…
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis closed out the WEC organization’s existence with a bang and a loud announcement: I’m a threat to anyone and I will end fights in a spectacular fashion.
Since capturing the WEC lightweight championship at WEC 53 with the kick heard around the world against Ben Henderson, Pettis stumbled into UFC competition.
Pettis was slated to be the No. 1 contender for the lightweight title that was supposed to be settled at UFC 125. In light of the draw that happened between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, a monkey wrench was thrown in Pettis’ plans.
Since those two were occupied in preparing for a rematch, Pettis elected to stay busy and fought Clay Guida at the Ultimate Fighter 13 finale. Guida dominated with his wrestling and ignored the submission attempts from Pettis en route to a unanimous decision victory.
No longer the No. 1 contender in a muddled lightweight division, Pettis has to fight his way back to the top. Jeremy Stephens stands in his way on Saturday night. In order for Pettis to get back into title contention, he probably needs two or three solid wins while the title picture clears up.
A win versus Stephens won’t put Pettis in a title fight, but it will put him up against one of the top-tier fighters to get himself back in the talk for a title fight. Perhaps he can be the introduction into the UFC for Gilbert Melendez? Who knows, but a win will do a lot for his title aspirations and his psyche.
Lightweights Melvin Guillard and Joe Lauzon are set to meet at UFC 136, where the winner will likely be in contention for a title shot in the near future. Guillard has reemerged himself in the lightweight division riding an impressive five-fight win st…
Lightweights Melvin Guillard and Joe Lauzon are set to meet at UFC 136, where the winner will likely be in contention for a title shot in the near future.
Guillard has reemerged himself in the lightweight division riding an impressive five-fight win streak. Although he possesses good wrestling ability, Guillard has tended to rely on his striking much more, which has seen him pick up his three of his last five bouts via knockout. “The Young Assassin” recently paired up with trainer Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, New Mexico where he has evolved as a fighter and been a lot more strategic and patient than usual during his fights. His combination of speed and aggression is what has allowed him to score victories over such fighters as Jeremy Stephens and Evan Dunham.
Lauzon has enjoyed some considerable success throughout his UFC tenure. Despite going 2-2 in his past four bouts, Lauzon holds some of the division’s best Brazilian Jiu-Jtsu skills, earning 16 of his 20 wins via submission. Relying on his conditioning and BJJ, Lauzon is a durable opponent to face and even more difficult to defend against on the ground.
Lauzon will likely be able to withstand some punishment on the feet in order to close the distance and clinch with Guillard to take this bout to the canvas. Guillard has been vulnerable against submission specialists in the past and he obviously will want to avoid the ground at all costs. Guillard’s speed and wrestling should help him keep this fight standing, as Lauzon doesn’t have the striking power to hurt his opponent, nor the wrestling credentials to keep him on the mat. Ultimately, Guillard’s striking will overwhelm Lauzon before sending him to the canvas.
Filed under: UFCMusings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before UFC 136 in Houston. Here are just a few of them, for your consideration.
I. After the first Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard fight, who’d have guessed we’d want …
Musings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before UFC 136 in Houston. Here are just a few of them, for your consideration.
I. After the first Frankie Edgar–Gray Maynard fight, who’d have guessed we’d want to see two more? Certainly not me. I remember well the feeling of dull obligation when the main event at UFC 125 rolled around. I was at home, watching the pay-per-view with my wife and some friends. After the Leben-Stann fight most of my friends went home (or to the bars that might as well be their homes), and my wife went to bed. If it hadn’t been my job to stay up and write, I might have DVR’d the final fight and followed her. Thankfully, I had no choice but to watch it live, and by the end of the first round I was debating waking her up and telling her she just had to see what was happening. I didn’t (my wife’s a fan, but she doesn’t mind waiting until the morning to catch the recorded version), and it was probably the right call for the sake of domestic bliss. Still, that fight served as a reminder that no matter how many events you’ve seen, you never know for sure what you’re going to get. That’s a sword that cuts two ways, of course, and with the Edgar-Maynard trilogy we have no way of telling whether the end will be fittingly satisfying or disappointingly mediocre. Maybe the best we can hope for is that finally, after months of waiting, it will really and truly be over.
II. In terms of his legacy, Kenny Florian has never had a more important fight. It’s not just because there’s a title at stake. He’s been there before. It’s because, if he loses, this will almost certainly be the last UFC title that Florian ever gets a shot at. He’s already dropped as low as he can go, and there’s no future for him back at lightweight. Either he’s going to finally win a title, or he’s going to cement his legacy as one of the best UFC fighters to never be a champion — a sort of MMA Jim Kelly, if you will. It’s not the worst thing that could happen. Better to be Kelly than to be Ryan Leaf. It’s better still to be a champion, and Florian is looking at his last best hope.
III. So…have we all just forgotten about that whole Chael Sonnen testosterone thing? The fact that it was a huge issue after the Anderson Silva fight and a complete non-issue before this fight really makes you wonder, are our attention spans that short, or was it all really just a paperwork and disclosure issue after all? No one seems to be asking Sonnen whether he’s been using testosterone in the lead-up to UFC 136, with the exception of a guy named Aaron on our recent live chat, and kudos to him. Aaron asked Sonnen point blank whether he’s still using it and whether it’s legal for him to do so in Texas, to which Sonnen replied:
“I really can’t get into it because I don’t fully understand it myself. It’s one of those things you try to learn as best you go but I’m not the guy who handles that. I’m not a manager. And they don’t make it extremely clear. There’s not a web site or anything we can go to to find out. …It would be helpful if the commissions told us more. It makes it tough on a guy to follow a rule when nobody is willing to clarify what the rule is.”
Now who’s elusive?
IV. Gray Maynard hasn’t finished a fight inside the distance since 2007. Edgar hasn’t done it since 2009, and that was against not-so-distinguished competition in Matt Veach (who’s now riding a two-fight losing streak in the minor leagues, last time I checked). For the fans who crave finishes and berate champions who don’t deliver them, is this a kiss of death? Will they continue to care about and/or pay to see UFC lightweight title contests if it’s almost a given that it will end up in the hands of the judges? I don’t know, but personally I’ve never understood the line of reasoning that claims the only good fight is a finished fight. Granted, draws like the one we saw last time leave us feeling cold, but who can say they didn’t have a great time watching that fight? Just because no one tapped or got knocked out, that doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t money well spent.
V. Joey Beltran has never lost to a fighter making his UFC debut. Okay, so he’s only fought two of them so far — Rolles Gracie and Aaron Rosa — but he won both. Now he’ll try to keep the streak intact against undefeated newcomer Stipe Miocic, who the UFC reportedly has high hopes for. Can Beltran play spoiler again? Oddsmakers don’t think so. Most have Miocic as a 3-1 favorite. But then, they’ve been wrong about Beltran before.
VI. We’re about to find out a lot about Anthony Pettis‘ potential. He dazzled us with the Showtime kick in the WEC, then squandered his promised title shot with a loss to Clay Guida in his UFC debut. Now he’s relegated to the prelims in a fight against Jeremy Stephens, who is the exact sort of fighter you simply must be able to beat if you want to be a contender at this level. Stephens is a resilient scrapper with knockout power, but he’s no world-beater. He’s someone who, on paper, Pettis ought to be able to handle. But Stephens never makes it easy on you, and he’s never more than one good punch away from ruining your night. If Pettis can’t beat him, we’ll know that “Showtime” isn’t quite ready for primetime.
VII. Jorge Santiago doesn’t need to panic just yet, but he should be at least a little concerned. His last UFC run ended after two consecutive losses in 2006. Now he’s 0-1 in his return, and facing a heavy favorite in Demian Maia. A loss here doesn’t necessarily mean he’s gone — Stann and then Maia is a heck of a one-two punch in your first fights back in the UFC — but it doesn’t bode well for his future either.
VIII. Melvin Guillard didn’t have to take this fight, but why wouldn’t he? After five straight wins, he could have probably opted to sit around and wait for either a title shot or at least a clear number one contender bout. But the way the lightweight division is looking right now, on the sidelines is no place to be. By continuing to take fights Guillard not only keeps his skills sharp and his bank account full, he also keeps himself in the conversation about top UFC lightweights. When the UFC does finally get around to promoting a 155-pound title fight that doesn’t include both Maynard and Edgar, Guillard’s recent triumphs will still be fresh in people’s minds. That is, if he is indeed triumphant here. Naturally, nothing’s guaranteed, but if you didn’t think you could beat Joe Lauzon 99 times out of 100, what would make you think you could be UFC champion?
UFC 136 is set to take place in a few hours and many of you may be looking to live stream the event to your computer. If you count yourself among those fans, the information on where you can legally stream is provided below the complete fight card, whi…
UFC 136 is set to take place in a few hours and many of you may be looking to live stream the event to your computer. If you count yourself among those fans, the information on where you can legally stream is provided below the complete fight card, which is listed here:
Main Card
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard
Jose Aldo vs. Kenny Florian
Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann
Leonard Garcia vs. Nam Phan
Melvin Guillard vs. Joe Lauzon
Spike TV Card
Demian Maia vs. Jorge Santiago
Anthony Pettis vs. Jeremy Stephens
Preliminary Card
Joey Beltran vs. Stipe Miocic
Darren Elkins vs. Tiequan Zhang
Eric Schafer vs. Aaron Simpson
Steve Cantwell vs. Mike Massenzio
To get you started, the UFC will stream the four fight preliminary card on their facebook page beginning at 6 p.m. ET.
From their you get a break as the Spike TV card will not be streamed, however, you can pick back up and watch the main card at 9 p.m. on any of the following, sure it will cost you, but, it’s legal:
Anthony “Showtime” Pettis closed out the WEC organization’s existence with a bang and a loud announcement: I’m a threat to anyone and I will end fights in a spectacular fashion. 
Musings, ramblings, questions, and predictions abound in the final hours before