Frankie Edgar | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

UFC Lightweight Championship: Who Is the Top Contender?

The 155 pound division has always been one of the deepest in mixed martial arts and right now is no different. At the beginning of the year it seemed pretty clear what direction the lightweight division was going—Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard wo…

The 155 pound division has always been one of the deepest in mixed martial arts and right now is no different.

At the beginning of the year it seemed pretty clear what direction the lightweight division was going—Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard would battle for the prestigious UFC lightweight title with the winner facing WEC’s final lightweight champ Anthony Pettis.

As with most things in life, nothing goes according to plan. Fast forward a mere 227 days later and the lightweight title picture is a tangled web of uncertainty.

Last night, the consensus top contender Jim Miller put his seven bout unbeaten streak on the line against former WEC lightweight champ Ben “Smooth” Henderson.

Keyboard warriors and media aficionados considered this to be a tune-up fight for the AMA Fight Club product, but it appears that Henderson didn’t get the memo.

Both men brought the action with a highly competitive opening 10 minutes. On my unofficial score card they tied it with a round a piece heading into the final stanza.

Henderson made sure there were no questions about the winner with his actions in the final-round battering a tired Miller which earned him a 10-8 round on one of the judges’ score cards.

The MMA Lab product is unbeaten since joining the UFC and after dominating the former top contender can make a serious claim to being the top challenger following the Pettis-Maynard rubber match.

However, he is not alone. Both Clay Guida and Melvin Guillard also have the ability to challenge for the throne.

Guida stretched his winning streak to four bouts with the biggest win of his career spoiling the coming out party of the final WEC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis.

Guillard appears to be in the best shape of his career since hooking up with Greg Jackson—collecting five straight victories, three of them by way of stoppage.

“The Young Assassin” wasted no time looking to get back into the octagon following his July stoppage of Shane Roller taking a bout with jiu-jitsu ace Joe Lauzon.

With their impressive credentials and winning streaks, any of them would be fine challengers for the title. It seems we will have to trim the fat to find the real top contender.

Since Guillard has already agreed to a bout with Lauzon it makes sense to match the other contenders up in a title eliminator.

Both combatants have been known to throw caution to the wind and put on thrilling performances inside the cage and this would be the best way to find the true No. 1 contender.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Clay Guida in No Rush for UFC Title Shot, Says Jim Miller Is Top Contender

Filed under: UFC, NewsMILWAUKEE – The logjam in the UFC lightweight division thanks to the Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard draw has been far-reaching.

Clay Guida knows plenty about it. He’s been on one of the division’s best tears, with four straight wins…

Filed under: UFC, News

MILWAUKEE – The logjam in the UFC lightweight division thanks to the Frankie Edgar–Gray Maynard draw has been far-reaching.

Clay Guida knows plenty about it. He’s been on one of the division’s best tears, with four straight wins. But if he wants a title shot, he’s got to wait until the dust finally settles.

After dismantling Anthony Pettis in June, Guida positioned himself for a possible title shot. But he believes Jim Miller is ahead of him in line, and he has no problem waiting for his moment to come.

“Jim Miller is the frontrunner, and maybe Ben Henderson – we’ll see what happens tomorrow night,” Guida said Saturday during a fan Q&A in Milwaukee. “I’m not in a rush. I’ll be (in the UFC) five years in October. When the time comes, we’ll be ready and it’ll be the most exciting lightweight title fight you’ve ever seen.”

Miller and Henderson fight in the co-main event of UFC on Versus 5 in Milwaukee on Sunday. Miller’s seven-fight lightweight winning streak has him likely next in line for the Edgar-Maynard winner, but a Henderson upset could throw a wrench in the works – and could open the door for Guida.

Guida said he does not yet have his next fight booked – perhaps a strategic move on the UFC’s part, waiting to see what happens between Miller and Henderson.

But Guida has no qualms with saying Miller is ahead of him in line – even though Miller hasn’t been named the official next title challenger yet.

“Jim Miller’s just been a wrecking ball,” Guida said. “He ran through Kamal Shalorus, which I thought would be his toughest test. It’s an interesting matchup. I’ve won four in a row, but right now Jim Miller is the frontrunner for next contender. But don’t sell Ben Henderson short. He’s a gamer.”

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

After Ben Henderson, Jim Miller Hopes Eight Is Enough for UFC Title Shot

Filed under: UFC, NewsMILWAUKEE – Jim Miller can join the club when it comes to being frustrated with the UFC’s lightweight title situation.

Only three fighters have been in the race for the last 18 months – BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. P…

Filed under: UFC, News

MILWAUKEE – Jim Miller can join the club when it comes to being frustrated with the UFC‘s lightweight title situation.

Only three fighters have been in the race for the last 18 months – BJ Penn, Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard. Penn lost to Edgar, then got a rematch, which Edgar won. And Edgar and Maynard’s January draw forced a rematch for this October, when both will have recovered from training injuries.

Meanwhile, Miller sits in a pack with the likes of Clay Guida and, before him, Anthony Pettis, wondering when’s gonna be his time. With a seven-fight winning streak going into his co-main event fight against Ben Henderson on Sunday at UFC on Versus 5, Miller is ready for eight to be enough to get him the winner of Edgar-Maynard. And if not? He’ll keep doing what he’s doing.

“I can’t look past any of my opponents,” Miller said Friday after a workout in Milwaukee. “I feel that I’m ready to be recognized as the best lightweight in the world. I kind of have my opportunity to prove it. Anybody they put in there against me, I’m going to be able to beat. Hopefully this is the one, but we’ll see. We’ll see the way it goes and see what happens down the road.”

Miller (20-2, 9-1 UFC) hasn’t lost since a unanimous decision setback to Maynard at UFC 96 in March 2009. His only other pro defeat? It’s rather perfect that it came at the hands of Edgar, losing the New Jersey-based Realty Fighting lightweight belt.

His seven-fight tear through the UFC since his loss to Maynard includes four stoppages, including a TKO against Kamal Shalorus in March and a Submission of the Night win over submission specialist Charles Oliveira last December.

And even though seven straight wins in the lightweight division would normally be enough to get a crack at some gold – the only longer current streaks in the UFC belong to champs Georges St-Pierre and Anderson Silva – the alternative of sitting on the sideline hoping he gets a shot later hasn’t really appealed to him, either.

“I’m here to fight the best, and I know I can beat anybody in the world,” Miller said. “Basically, I’m just getting opportunities to show it. The way the title picture has worked out these last couple fights, with BJ and Frankie, and now all the stuff going on with Frankie and Gray, you can’t expect anything. You just have to wait it out and let those guys settle it. In the meantime, I’ve been happy taking these fights and fighting tough guys and working my butt off so I can beat them.”

Against Henderson, Miller gets an opponent who perhaps has a little something extra to prove on Sunday. Henderson (13-2, 1-0 UFC) was lightweight champ in the WEC, and Miller was critical of the WEC’s lightweights when they merged into the UFC at the start of this year – believing they were a second tier of competition to their big brothers in the bigger show.

And though he may not be ready to take back completely what he said, he does admit Henderson proved himself worthy of UFC lightweight status with his win over Mark Bocek at UFC 129 in April.

Miller also has a win over Bocek at UFC 111. But the New Jersey-based fighter said if Henderson is only using their mutual fights with Bocek for comparison, he’s in trouble.

“He definitely fought Mark a lot more conservative than I did,” Miller said. “I know that if I had tried to stall it out on the mat, I could’ve done it. But I wanted to sub him out. I put him in danger a couple times. But time has passed. I think if Ben thinks he is fighting the same Jim Miller that fought Mark (in March 2010), he’s going to be in for a rude awakening on Sunday night.”

Miller and Henderson fight Sunday in the co-main event of UFC on Versus 5 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wis., the UFC’s debut in the state. The main card airs live on the Versus cable channel at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

‘Punch Buddies’ Melvin Guillard Photoshop Contest: The Winners!

(You don’t *have* to cover your face when you wear this shirt in public — but it couldn’t hurt. Props: Punch Buddies)

After Tuesday’s pep-talk, I’m happy to report that you guys got your acts together and started to produce quality work. So after sifting through the most recent wave of submissions for our Punch Buddies photoshop contest, we’ve chosen five runners-up, as well as two winners who will score “Young Assassin” t-shirts. Check out the Melvin Gulllard-themed brilliance after the jump.

(You don’t *have* to cover your face when you wear this shirt in public — but it couldn’t hurt. Props: Punch Buddies)

Runners-Up

(Brian R.)

(Atom)

(Brandon J.)

(steampunk22; hey, who’s that hottie in the background?)

(Pablo F.)

The Big Winners

(William W.)

(Avelino G.)

William and Avelino, please send your names, sizes, and addresses to [email protected] and we’ll get you hooked up ASAP. Thanks to everyone who entered, and keep your eye on Punch Buddies!

UFC on Versus 5: Will Jim Miller Get a Title Shot (And Some Respect) with a Win?

What does Jim Miller have to do to get noticed? He’s currently riding a seven-fight win streak that includes wins over a former TUF winner and one of the most hyped prospects in the division, he’s finished his last two fights in highly impressive fashi…

What does Jim Miller have to do to get noticed?

He’s currently riding a seven-fight win streak that includes wins over a former TUF winner and one of the most hyped prospects in the division, he’s finished his last two fights in highly impressive fashion, and he’s sporting a 20-2 record with his only losses coming at the hands of the current champion and No. 1 contender.

Yet, somehow his fight with former WEC champion Ben Henderson has been subjected to co-main event status behind a fight between two guys coming off losses who are nowhere near title contention. Huh?

Not taking away anything from Dan Hardy and Chris Lytle, as they are both tremendously entertaining and will almost certainly provide us with a memorable fight on Sunday, but it makes no sense to have a potential No. 1 contender get second billing on a free TV card.

If Miller was a boring fighter, a case could be made to stick him behind some well known names, but he has done nothing but improve all aspects of his game as of late and his last couple fights have been highly entertaining.

If the UFC wants to build up contenders and marketable fighters in the lighter weight classes, this would seem like the perfect opportunity to do so. The fight is on free TV, there are plenty of other marketable names on the card (including Hardy and former TUF winner Amir Sadollah), and throwing a guaranteed slug-fest like Hardy-Lytle on before the main event would entice viewers to remain tuned in.

It seems like the UFC has dropped the ball with Miller so far, but if he wins this weekend, he deserves his shot at redemption against whoever comes out of the UFC 136 title fight.

He is a completely different fighter than the guy who lost to Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, and a win over a former WEC champion would add a huge amount of credibility to an already good resume.

Jim Miller has proven he belongs inside the Octagon with the best in the division. If he wins on Sunday, let’s hope he steals Joe Rogan’s microphone and demands a title shot from Dana White and Joe Silva.

Maybe the world will notice him then.

Folllow Vince on Twitter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC: The 7 UFC Champions and the Fighter That Could Most Likely Beat Them

There are a multitude of fighters in the UFC but there are so many who are viewed as truly great. However, there is a dividing line event among those those lucky enough to be considered great; the greatest of the great are considered nigh unbeatable.Ho…

However, MMA history has demonstrated that even the fiercest of fighters can be beat by the right person; every fighter has an Achilles’ heel, after all.

Of the best fighters in each weight class in the UFC, there is at least one competitor who stands a pretty decent shot of victory. Who are these fighters and who are the fighters who could most likely beat them? Read and find out!

Begin Slideshow