UFC 136 Results: Kenny Florian Not Aggressive Enough in Loss to Aldo

In his quest for the UFC featherweight title, Kenny Florian was not aggressive enough in his loss to Jose Aldo.Florian dropped to 14-6 with the loss, his first defeat while registering a takedown. Florian was absorbing brutal leg kicks from Aldo all fi…

In his quest for the UFC featherweight title, Kenny Florian was not aggressive enough in his loss to Jose Aldo.

Florian dropped to 14-6 with the loss, his first defeat while registering a takedown. Florian was absorbing brutal leg kicks from Aldo all fight long and ate a couple vicious punches to the face. He actually landed more kicks than Aldo, but the power behind Aldo’s strikes was obviously much greater.

I think Florian didn’t do himself any favors in the final round, when he was clearly losing on points. Florian should have went all out, laying everything he had out on the octagon. Instead, he was content with trying to smother Aldo and just make it until the final bell.

Now, obviously it’s easy for me to sit behind a computer screen and say that Florian should have done this or that. After all, I wasn’t the one in the octagon getting my leg crushed by the notoriously brutal leg kicks of Aldo.

But at 35 years of age, Florian won’t have many more opportunities at a title. This was his best shot at capturing his dream, yet he didn’t go all out in the fifth and final round.

Florian fought very well in the first round, which I believe he clearly won. But his aggressiveness tapered off throughout the fight and was eventually the deciding factor in his loss.

UFC 136 Results: Chael Sonnen Destroys Brian Stann with Ground Game

Chael Sonnen absolutely dominated Brian Stann with his beautiful wrestling skills.Sonnen registered a second round submission after spending the entire fight on top of Stann, pummeling his face in.Despite his pre-fight claim to deliver a “red, white, a…

Chael Sonnen absolutely dominated Brian Stann with his beautiful wrestling skills.

Sonnen registered a second round submission after spending the entire fight on top of Stann, pummeling his face in.

Despite his pre-fight claim to deliver a “red, white, and blue ass whooping,” Stann got destroyed by Sonnen. Stann has had issues with great wrestlers in the past and Sonnen clearly recognized this weakness. He was aggressive from the opening bell, lunging toward Stann for a takedown attempt.

Stann was able to fight off the first attempt, but it was only a matter of time before Sonnen put him on his back. Once there, Sonnen put on a ground and pound clinic and then choked Stann until he turned purple.

This was an incredibly impressive performance by Sonnen, especially given that he had a 14-month layoff due to injuries and suspensions.

After the fight, Sonnen called out champion Anderson Silva, whom he nearly beat a year ago. In his post-fight interview, Sonnen told Silva and the world that he wants a rematch on Super Bowl weekend and that he would leave the UFC forever if Silva could beat him again.

Silva stood and acknowledged the challenge, so I’m assuming we’ll all be treated to the rematch sometime soon.

If Sonnen can put together another performance like tonight, Silva will be in trouble.

UFC 136 Results: Anthony Pettis Too Versatile for Jeremy Stephens

Nothing wakes you up like a swift kick in the cup. Early on in the first round Anthony Pettis mistakenly landed an inside leg kick on the testicles. Stephens took a few moments and returned to the fight,Showtime attempted a Capoeira style kick at the e…

Nothing wakes you up like a swift kick in the cup. Early on in the first round Anthony Pettis mistakenly landed an inside leg kick on the testicles. Stephens took a few moments and returned to the fight,
Showtime attempted a Capoeira style kick at the end of the first round. It was pretty much the highlight of a very mild opening round.

Pettis was able to control Stephens on the ground in the second round. He badly bloodied the nose of Stephens with a diving punch while Stephens was on the ground. Pettis was clearly the better conditioned fighter as he thoroughly out worked Stephens. I

In the final round, Pettis fought off of his back. He showed himself a much more versatile and well rounded fighter. His technique and athleticism was superior to Stephens and that was the difference.
At the conclusion of the fight, Stephens raised his hands but surely he knew he was outclassed tonight.

I am excited to see who is next for Pettis as I think he has the rare combination of flair and great ability. The judges created some ridiculous dram with a split decision, but it was as unanimous in my opinion.
Of all the up and comers, Anthony Pettis is far and away the best fighter thus far.

UFC 136 Results: Massenzio Saves UFC Career with Win over Cantwell

Mike Massenzio’s (13-5, 2-3 in UFC) UFC career was saved Saturday night with a unanimous decision win over Steve Cantwell (7-4, 1-4 in UFC) in UFC 136.This was Massenzio’s first win in four fights, as he came into UFC 136 with a three fight losing s…

Mike Massenzio’s (13-5, 2-3 in UFC) UFC career was saved Saturday night with a unanimous decision win over Steve Cantwell (7-4, 1-4 in UFC) in UFC 136.

This was Massenzio’s first win in four fights, as he came into UFC 136 with a three fight losing streak and his UFC career literally on the line.

After a slow start Massenzio made the fight an all out brawl, and broke Cantwell’s nose in the second round which seemed to bother him the rest of the fight.

After a semi-close second round, Massenzio took the fight over in Round 3 and had to be fairly confident that he would take home the win.

Massenzio can breathe easy now knowing he will live to fight another day, and can now start looking forward to who his next opponent will be.

Massenzio needs to work on how he comes out in a fight, as a slow start can doom a fighter, especially in the three-round fights that are the norm in the UFC.

Possible opponents for Massenzio are Jason Miller, Chris Weidman or Wanderlei Silva to name a few.

Massenzio has to be relieved he is pondering his next opponent rather than his next career move.

UFC Live: Cruz vs Johnson: Winners and Losers from Saturday’s Fights

The card for last night’s fights was full of exciting fighters and promised a lot of action in Washington, D.C.If you blinked, there was a chance that you would have missed an incredible finish.We saw the rematch between Ultimate Fighter winners M…

The card for last night’s fights was full of exciting fighters and promised a lot of action in Washington, D.C.

If you blinked, there was a chance that you would have missed an incredible finish.

We saw the rematch between Ultimate Fighter winners Mac Danzig and Matt Wiman. The last time these two fighters matched up, the fight ended in controversial fashion.

Wiman sunk in a guillotine choke and the referee had thought that Danzig had tapped, but if you take a look at the replay, it was clear that Ohio native was fine.

Danzig was out to prove that he was the better fighter, while Wiman was looking for the same result as their first fight.

Fight fans also saw the return of Anthony “Rumble” Johnson who had not fought since March when he successfully defeated former No. 1 contender Dan Hardy.

Against him was underdog Charlie Brenneman who had a successful upset victory against Rick Story in his last fight.

In the co-main event we witnessed the biggest height differential in UFC history as 6’11 Stefan Struve went up against 5’11” Pat Barry.

And in our main event, the bantamweight division looked to show everyone watching on versus two of their top fighters from the relatively new division to the UFC.

With a night full of action, let’s take a look at the winners and losers from last night’s fights.

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Riot at the Hyatt: Standout Mixed Martial Artists

The Minneapolis-based Mixed Martial Arts event, “Riot at the Hyatt” was a packed house by the end of the show. There were, however, two stand out performances of the night that many fans who showed up late may have missed. The first was an …

The Minneapolis-based Mixed Martial Arts event, “Riot at the Hyatt” was a packed house by the end of the show. There were, however, two stand out performances of the night that many fans who showed up late may have missed.

The first was an amateur bout between Nick Jessen and Andre “The Diva” Tieva. The fight went the distance with Tieva getting the win via unanimous decision.

The amateur bout had an exciting pace that never slowed. Tieva showcased impressive striking, take downs, and an ability to work off his back.

It was Tieva’s second fight to go the distance, leaving him with an undefeated amateur record at 5-0.

Tieva plans to go pro in early 2012 and currently trains with UFC veterans like Jacob Volkman, Nik Lentz, and Greg Nelson at the Academy in Minneapolis.

The second fight that stood out was between Chris Lane and Michael “The Marine” Richman. At 1:43 of the first round Richman walked away with a TKO victory due to corner stoppage.

While Richman did receive a broken nose, his stand up was very impressive. He looked eager to push the pace and dropped Lane with a couple of great body shots.

Once his opponent was on the ground, Richman laid into him with some vicious ground and pound before Lane’s corner threw in the towel.

Richman also trains out of the Academy in Minneapolis and has earned a record of 10-1, which includes his victory over Lane.

Both of these Midwestern warriors showed lots of promise, great skill, and an ability to dictate the pace of their fight. Be sure to keep your eye on them as they evolve through the sport.

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