The first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event of 2017 is in the books. Last night’s (Jan. 15) UFC Fight Night card took place inside the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Headlining th…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7EKXk1t0YU
The first Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) event of 2017 is in the books. Last night’s (Jan. 15) UFC Fight Night card took place inside the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Headlining the event was a featherweight clash between Yair Rodriguez and B.J. Penn.
“El Pantera” earned a TKO victory in the lopsided affair that lasted five minutes and 24 seconds total. Rodriguez’s flashy kicks had “The Prodigy” off balance and backing up in the first round. A front kick followed by a straight punch in the second round marked the beginning of the end for Penn. Just 24 seconds into the second stanza, referee “Big” John McCarthy put a stop to the fight.
The win improved the Mexican warrior’s winning streak to eight. Before the updated rankings, Rodriguez finds himself in the No. 10 spot. A fight against a top 10 opponent seems to be the next step for the rising 145-pounder.
With many fighters booked or injured, it’ll be interesting to see who “El Pantera” meets next. No. 9 ranked Brian Ortega is currently healing a torn labrum. Perhaps a bout with No. 7 ranked Charles Oliveira or the winner of No. 8 ranked Dennis Bermudez and Chan Sung Jung will be next.
For Rodriguez’s efforts last night, he took home a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus. He hasn’t the only one who got paid a bonus. Aleksei Oleinik scored the first Ezekiel choke finish in UFC history. The choke isn’t often seen outside of jiu-jitsu tournaments due to the submission’s dependency on using the gi as leverage. Oleinik earned an extra $50,000 for putting Viktor Pesta to sleep.
The other two men who became $50,000 richer were bantamweights Augusto Mendes and Frankie Saenz. They were awarded “Fight of the Night.” It’s no surprise as the fighters dropped each other in the bout and swung for the fences. Mendes landed the cleaner shots and was awarded the split decision win.
UFC Fight Night 103 emanated tonight (Sunday, January 15, 2017) from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The event was headlined by BJ Penn making his return to the cage against the dynamic Yair Rodriguez. Rodriguez battered Penn with a wide variety of kicks throughout round one, and he ended the night early
UFC Fight Night 103 emanated tonight (Sunday, January 15, 2017) from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. The event was headlined by BJ Penn making his return to the cage against the dynamic Yair Rodriguez.
Rodriguez battered Penn with a wide variety of kicks throughout round one, and he ended the night early in round two. A front kick and a right hand dropped “The Prodigy”, and Rodriguez pounced for the finish inside the first 30 seconds of round two. For his efforts, Rodriguez was among those who banked an extra $50,000 for his Performance of the Night against the former two-division champion.
The other Performance of the Night went to Alexey Oleinik for his Ezekiel choke of Viktor Pesta. Oleinik latched onto Pesta’s neck with a rear-naked choke grip, but he was on the bottom with Pesta in his half guard. Pesta moved to full mount and suddenly tapped. It was the first Ezekiel choke finish in UFC history, and it earned Oleinik an extra $50,000.
The Fight of the Night went to the featured prelim, as bantamweights Frankie Saenz and Augusto Mendes engaged in a back-and-forth battle for 15 minutes. Both men were wobbled by punches on multiple occasions, but somehow they both gutted it out to hear the final bell. In the end, the judges sided with Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion Mendes, who was able to complete several (albeit brief) takedowns during the match. Disappointed though he no doubt was, Saenz received a $50,000 check to match Mendes’ own Fight of the Night bonus.
Keep it locked to LowKickMMA for all the UFC Fight Night 103 coverage.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight Augusto Mendes didn’t have a smooth debut for the promotion. He was welcomed to the Octagon by Cody Garbrandt, who showed him “No Love” with a first round TKO finish. Just 10 months later, Garbrandt captured the 135-pound title.
“Tanquinho” told MMAJunkie.com that the loss irks him almost one year later. The Brazilian believes he can beat the champion:
“I’m still bothered by that loss. I truly believe that I can defeat him. He’s a very good opponent. I knew that when I accepted the fight, even though he wasn’t champion at the time. He was chasing his title shot. I knew I could defeat him. I only had five days to get ready. He faced someone who wasn’t at his best.”
Mendes will try to earn his first UFC win when he meets Frankie Saenz at this Sunday night’s (Jan. 15) UFC Fight Night event in Phoenix, Arizona. A loss would put Mendes at two straight and may cause him to be released from the UFC. He doesn’t seem concerned about the possible consequences.
“I don’t worry about what the UFC may choose to do. If they let one of us go, that’s their prerogative. I’ll show up to do my job. If I win or if I lose, that’s fine. The UFC can decide if they want to keep me. I’m showing up to win.”
Mendes has yet to earn a spot on the UFC’s bantamweight rankings. He feels a win over Saenz will put him one step closer to appearing on that list.
“It’s a good fight for me, so I can show that I can go far in our weight class. I plan to shut him down like no one else has. My plan is to win so I can be in the rankings.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHOV5N-Esnk
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight Augusto Mendes didn’t have a smooth debut for the promotion. He was welcomed to the Octagon by Cody Garbrandt, who showed him “No Love” with a first round TKO finish. Just 10 months later, Garbrandt captured the 135-pound title.
“Tanquinho” told MMAJunkie.com that the loss irks him almost one year later. The Brazilian believes he can beat the champion:
“I’m still bothered by that loss. I truly believe that I can defeat him. He’s a very good opponent. I knew that when I accepted the fight, even though he wasn’t champion at the time. He was chasing his title shot. I knew I could defeat him. I only had five days to get ready. He faced someone who wasn’t at his best.”
Mendes will try to earn his first UFC win when he meets Frankie Saenz at this Sunday night’s (Jan. 15) UFC Fight Night event in Phoenix, Arizona. A loss would put Mendes at two straight and may cause him to be released from the UFC. He doesn’t seem concerned about the possible consequences.
“I don’t worry about what the UFC may choose to do. If they let one of us go, that’s their prerogative. I’ll show up to do my job. If I win or if I lose, that’s fine. The UFC can decide if they want to keep me. I’m showing up to win.”
Mendes has yet to earn a spot on the UFC’s bantamweight rankings. He feels a win over Saenz will put him one step closer to appearing on that list.
“It’s a good fight for me, so I can show that I can go far in our weight class. I plan to shut him down like no one else has. My plan is to win so I can be in the rankings.”
The first-ever WEC Bantamweight Champion, Eddie Wineland, is scheduled to make his Octagon return this July.
Wineland will make his UFC return against Frankie Saenz at the UFC On FOX 20 event, which takes place two weeks after the string of three ev…
The first-ever WEC Bantamweight Champion, Eddie Wineland, is scheduled to make his Octagon return this July.
Wineland will make his UFC return against Frankie Saenz at the UFC On FOX 20 event, which takes place two weeks after the string of three events scheduled for UFC’s annual International Fight Week, which is capped off by the landmark UFC 200 event on 7/9.
UFC On FOX 20 is scheduled for Saturday, July 23, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois.
Ah, so fight weekend is once again upon us, and we know what that means, right? No, not another summer hotdog eating contest. It’s bettin’ time. That’s right, we’ve got a reason to throw down disposable income and try to make ourselves feel better about our position in life by earning a few bucks, and, I suppose for some, they’ll be pawning their fiancée’s wedding ring to scrounge together the $5 to bet with but, hey, that’s okay too, sometimes.
Now, if you’re not familiar with my betting strategy, go here. If you are familiar, well, you’ve already made cash since I started writing these for CagePotato, so just listen to my words. And my apologies for not having a Gambler’s Gambit for the last card. I sent it over to my editor too late, but if you want to pester him to show you what I chose for my bets, I went 3-0.
I must disclaim that in 2 of the 3 bets I’m suggesting on this card, I happen to know the fighters I’m betting on. Now, if that scares you away, I completely understand, but know this: I wouldn’t bet on them if I wasn’t very confident in their ability to win their respective fights this weekend. I would, when asked why I didn’t write about their amazing odds to win fights, say something like, “Well, I don’t like to bet on people I know,” which is a complete lie.
Ah, so fight weekend is once again upon us, and we know what that means, right? No, not another summer hotdog eating contest. It’s bettin’ time. That’s right, we’ve got a reason to throw down disposable income and try to make ourselves feel better about our position in life by earning a few bucks, and, I suppose for some, they’ll be pawning their fiancée’s wedding ring to scrounge together the $5 to bet with but, hey, that’s okay too, sometimes.
Now, if you’re not familiar with my betting strategy, go here. If you are familiar, well, you’ve already made cash since I started writing these for CagePotato, so just listen to my words. And my apologies for not having a Gambler’s Gambit for the last card. I sent it over to my editor too late, but if you want to pester him to show you what I chose for my bets, I went 3-0.
I must disclaim that in 2 of the 3 bets I’m suggesting on this card, I happen to know the fighters I’m betting on. Now, if that scares you away, I completely understand, but know this: I wouldn’t bet on them if I wasn’t very confident in their ability to win their respective fights this weekend. I would, when asked why I didn’t write about their amazing odds to win fights, say something like, “Well, I don’t like to bet on people I know,” which is a complete lie.
The Locks:
Frankie Saenz -140 vs. Sirwan Kakai +105
The bet: Saenz
Why: Did you see what Saenz did to top ranked Iuri Alcantara? I don’t think I need to say more…but I will. Saenz is just a super tough fighter, and I think Kakai is tough, but I don’t know that he has the tools in the arsenal at this point to finish Saenz, and I don’t see him winning a decision.
The Good Risks:
Roman Salazar +105 vs. Marlon Vera -135
The Bet: Salazar
Why: Salazar hasn’t had the greatest two fights in the UFC…yet. He fought Gagnon on short notice, then had a NC with Kid Yamamoto due to an eye poke. However, he is very tough (I trained him for years), and he is very hard to submit, which I think is the only way Vera could beat him. I don’t see Vera subbing Salazar, and I think he’s going to take a lot of elbows from underneath Roman.
The Longshot:
Michael Johnson -170 vs. Beneil Dariush
The Bet: Dariush
Why: I threw money down on this fight early, as I think the odds may sway more favorably in Dariush’s favor by fight time. Johnson has had issues with crafty submission specialists before (Reza Medhedi, Paul Sass) and I see Dariush as about 100x more of a threat in the BJJ department than the two listed. Dariush has also been working with lightweight champ RDA and Rafael Cordeiro on the regular and is a BJJ wizard. Look for him to push the clinch early and push the pace in the grappling department, finding a submission late in the 2nd or 3rd rnd.
Remember, gamble responsibly, or at least have a shit ton of fun if you’re going to do it irresponsibly!
