UFC 172 wasn’t terribly interesting on paper. “Who cares about Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira and a bunch of other mismatches?” we all asked. And we were right to. MMA had been in a slump. Good cards were sparse–islands in a sea terrible TUF finales, awful Fight Pass exclusives, and PPVs not worth the $60 price tag.
Last night changed all that (well, it did if you ignore UFC 173)
I know what you’re thinking. “Tone down the hyperbole a bit, Matt…and by a bit we mean several orders of magnitude.” Let me explain.
UFC 172 wasn’t terribly interesting on paper. “Who cares about Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira and a bunch of other mismatches?” we all asked. And we were right to. MMA had been in a slump. Good cards were sparse—islands in a sea terrible TUF finales, awful Fight Pass exclusives, and PPVs not worth the $60 price tag.
Last night changed all that (well, it did if you ignore UFC 173)
I know what you’re thinking. “Tone down the hyperbole a bit, Matt…and by a bit we mean several orders of magnitude.” Let me explain.
This clever taunt can be turned into a meaningful feud with the right promotion. Why not match up Correia with Shayna Baszler and market it as a grudge match? The women’s bantamweight division is shallow and pallid. There’s not much talent, and there’s even less buzz around anyone not named Ronda Rousey. Even though a potential Four Horsewoman vs. Bethe Correia feud still technically involves Rousey in some capacity, it’ll at least attempt to create some kind of narrative in the weight class other than “Ronda Rousey vs. Opponent. Buy it.”
Lightweight, too, had its fire rekindled. Jim Miller choked Yancy Medeiros unconscious in a wondrous display of grappling technique (and violence). But better than that was his post-fight call out of practically the entire lightweight division—Khabib Nurmagomedov, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone, and more. Jim Miller’s aggressiveness is welcome in a division lacking its champion as well as perennial shit-starter Nate Diaz. Miller-Nurmagomedov or Miller-Cerrone are both great matches—ones that make MMA what it should be: Fights between the most talented fighters.
An honorable mention goes to Luke Rockhold‘s unreal domination of Tim Boetsch. While this was a sight to behold; it didn’t necessarily shake the division up. Middleweight was intriguing enough.
The most interesting development of all, however, was Anthony “Rumble” Johnson‘s resurgence. Johnson made Phil Davis (who’s built like a comic book superhero) not only look like a neophyte wrestler, but a neophyte wrestler who was about three weight classes lighter. In a division where Jon Jones rules over everyone with an iron elbow, a new, viable contender is not only welcomed but necessary. Before Johnson’s fight, the only meaningful light heavyweight fight on the horizon was Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson II. Now we have Anthony Johnson carving a bloody path through the light heavyweight top-10 to look forwards to.
MMA had been in a rut the last few months. Some recent fight cards have made fans never want to watch MMA again. This card wasn’t one of them. UFC 172 helped MMA not suck. There’s stuff to look forward to now. Let’s hope the trend continues.
Round-by-round results from the UFC 172 pay-per-view broadcast will be available after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your own thoughts in the comments section or on twitter @cagepotatomma.
(“No disrespect to Glover, he’s a great challenger. I just think making eye-contact with other men is super-gay.” / Photo via Getty)
Round-by-round results from the UFC 172 pay-per-view broadcast will be available after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your own thoughts in the comments section or on twitter @cagepotatomma.
UFC 172 Preliminary Card Results
– Joseph Benavidez def. Tim Elliott via submission (“joa constrictor” guillotine choke), 4:08 of round 1
– Takanori Gomi def. Isaac Vallie-Flagg via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
I know Fili is supposed to be a hot prospect, but he’s got gauged-out ears and he walked out to Mumford & Sons, so screw him. Hollaway comes out to some folk-rock as well. What the hell is happening here? It’s the first fight on the pay-per-view, guys. You’re supposed to be RIPPIN’ IT INTO PIECES!
Round 1: Fili throws out some fast jabs. Hollaway lands a sharp counter punch. Leg kick Fili. Hollaway lands a spinning back kick to the body. Inside leg kick Fili. They trade long punches. An outside leg kick from Fili. Hollaway fires the spinning back kick again. Fili lands a punch and Hollaway looks briefly rattled. Jab from Fili, and a high kick. Fili digs in with a body hook. Jab and a leg kick from Fili. Hollaway lands a cross. Fili storms back with punches of his own. Hollaway throws the spinning back kick again. Right hand from Hollaway, and another. Hard leg kick from Fili, who follows it up with a takedown, but Hollaway pops right back up. And lands a knee on Fili. Body kick from Fili, Hollaway catches it and storms forward, punching. They clinch against the fence. Elbow from Hollaway. Knee to the body from Fili. That’s the round. I give it to Fili 10-9. “EXCELLENT WORK MOTHERFUCKER,” Bang Ludwig says.
Round 2: Hollaway lands a high front kick. Hollaway lands the spinning back kick again and lands it hard to the liver. Fili is hurt. Hollaway clinches, lands a knee. Fili shakes out. Fili with a leg kick, Hollaway returns a straight right. Fili attempts a flying armbar and gets nothing. Hollaway lets him up. Right hand from Hollaway. Good jabs from Hollaway. Fili lands a body kick. Joe Rogan is marking out over Hollaway’s spinning back kicks, obviously. Fili blasts forward and scores a takedown. Kevin Mulhall stands them up almost immediately and the crowd boos. God bless this crowd…they want *less* standing-and-banging. Hollaway with that spinning kick again. Fili shoots and Hollaway defends. Good knees from Hollaway from the clinch. The round ends. I’d say Hollaway edged it out, 10-9.
Round 3: Hollaway pops the right straight. He jabs, fires an uppercut. Fili fires a high kick, tries for a takedown but is shucked off. Hollaway tries his spinning back kick but it’s a miss. Fili shoots and successfully puts Hollaway on his back. Hollaway quickly works to his feet. Hollaway lands his right hand again. Hollaway lands a jab. Hollaway grabs Fili by the neck and drags him down. Fili gets up. Hollaway swarms with punches and Fili is hurt, on his heels. Fili goes low for a desperation takedown and Hollaway locks up a savage guillotine choke. Fili taps. And taps. Eventually, Mulhall sees it.
Max Hollaway def. Andre Fili via submission (guillotine choke), 3:39 of round 3.
Jim Miller vs. Yancy Medeiros
Round 1: Medeiros opens with some front kicks. Miller fires some punches but he’s having trouble getting close to the rangy Medeiros. Medeiros keeps working that front kick, with some punches after it. Miller lands a brutal body shot and Medeiros looks momentarily stunned, but then waves Miller forward. Miller clinches, flips Medeiros to the mat and sets up a guillotine choke. Miller cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks…my God, Medeiros is doing his best to hang on, but finally he starts to tap as he passes out. Kudos to Miller for staying on it.
Jim Miller def. Yancy Medeiros via submission (guillotine choke), 3:18 of round 1. Miller has apparently tied Gleison Tibau for the most wins in UFC lightweight history (13).
Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Boetsch
Round 1: Boetsch opens with a body kick. Boetsch shoots in, Rockhold defends and sets up an inverted triangle from the top, on Boetsch’s back. Rockhold goes for Boetsch’s arm and cranks a kimura. Boetsch taps. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy finish an armlock from that kind of position. Lemme go find a GIF…
Luke Rockhold def. Tim Boetsch via submission (kimura), 2:08 of round 1. Rockhold says he wants to earn his way to a title shot, starting with a rematch against Vitor Belfort (!). But of course, a fight against Michael Bisping would be nice too.
Round 1: Davis staying on the outside, testing range with front kicks. Johnson dashes in, they clinch for a moment and break. Johnson lands two big right hands. Johnson catches Davis again with an uppercut as Mr. Wonderful shoots in. Davis lands a body kick but Johnson lands a big looping counter-punch in return. Johnson swarms and knocks Davis to the mat. Johnson follows and bashes down with punches. Davis somehow escapes with his life. Davis lands a high kick. Heavy jab from Johnson backs Davis up. Davis fires the high kick again. The round ends. Easy 10-9 for Johnson. Davis’s face is already shredded and bleeding.
Round 2: Leg kick from Johnson. Jab from Johnson, and an overhand right that whiffs. Davis jabbing. Davis dancing around, trying to bait Johnson into…something. Johnson with a big head kick. He stuffs a takedown from Davis. Uppercut from Johnson. 1-2 and a high kick from Johnson. Johnson still throwing with bad intentions deep into round 2. Davis with a superman punch and a pair of body kicks. Davis throws a high kick and gets blasted dead in the face with an uppercut in return. High kick Davis, and a body kick followed by a takedown attempt, but Johnson shimmys right out of it. Davis is 0-5 on takedowns so far. There’s the horn. 10-9 Johnson.
Round 3: Johnson with a straight right to the body. Davis sticking-and-moving, minus the sticking. Johnson backing Davis up with punches. Davis shoots, Johnson defends easily. Davis fires the high kick. He fires a right hand and quickly ducks under for a takedown attempt but doesn’t get it. Johnson escapes, lands a hard leg kick. More punches and another takedown-stuff from Johnson. Good oblique kick to the body from Johnson. Davis throws a high kick that sails over Johnson’s head. Davis shoots, Johnson throws him off and Davis has to run out of danger. Davis grabs a single-leg and tries to yank Johnson down, but no dice. Both guys slugging at each other in the last 20 seconds. They clinch, and Davis looks for a kimura in the closing seconds. Too little, too late.
Anthony Johnson def. Phil Davis via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3). “BALTIMORE WAT’S UP BAYBEE!!!” [*crowd roars*] Finally, somebody gives it up to B-More. Then, Johnson thanks God, and on the other side of the Good/Evil spectrum, he thanks Dana for “changing me.” It’s a great moment. Anthony Johnson might have the greatest redemption story in MMA going right now.
Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira
The crowd loves Jon Jones and boos Teixeira. Good to see Bones get some love, finally.
Round 1: Jones with a switch kick to the body. Teixeira wading into the pocket and throwing power punches. Jones shoots from long range and Teixeira defends. Jones jabs. Teixeria with a right hand. He catches a kick from Jones and pushes him against the fence. Jones rolls out. Teixeira landing some hard punches. Jones with a high kick. Teixeira is poked in the eye, and steps out for a moment. Kick to the shin from Jones. Jones catches a kick and takes Teixeira down, but Teixeira quickly escapes. Jab from Jones. Spinning back kick from Jones lands to Teixeira’s ribs. Teixeira chases Jones winging punches, but Jones avoids. Jones with a high kick at the bell. Close round.
Round 2: Jones immediately shoots, and Teixeira sprawls out and escapes. Jones with kicks high and low. Straight left from Jones stings Teixeira. Punches and a front kick from Jones. Jones tries an axe kick, followed by an oblique kick. Jones palms Teixeira’s forehead and holds him back, like a mean older brother. Then he very clearly sticks his fingers in Teixeira’s eyes. Referee Dan Miragliotta gives Jones a warning. (Or *another* warning, really.) Teixeira bombs out on Jones. Jones lands a straight left and an elbow. Another elbow from Jones. And a left hook. Oblique kick to the shin from Jones. Oblique kick, spinning back kick and punches from Jones, and then a shoulder-check against the fence. Jones tries a spinning kick that misses, and Teixeira shoots in at the bell. 10-9 Jones.
Round 3: Jones grabs a headlock when Teixeira rushes in and throws in a knee. Teixeira pulls out. Jones punishing Teixeira with kicks. He lands an uppercut and says a few words to Teixeira. They clinch against the fence, and Teixeira lands a pair of powerful uppercuts. They’re against the fence again, and Jones scores with elbows in tight. Teixeira responding with uppercuts, but Jones is getting the better of this position. Jones with a great pair of hooks on the exit. Teixeira’s face is opened up. Jones bombing out from long range with punches and a kick. Jones with a great body shot and uppercut on Teixeira, whose back is against the fence. Jones with an elbow, Teixeira does his best to fight back, but again, Jones is very much in control. 10-9 Jones. The replay shows that Jones knocked Teixeira’s mouthpiece straight out of his mouth at one point.
Round 4: Jones still doing that thing where he palms Teixeira’s skull. He whiffs on a spinning backfist against the fence. Jones grabs Teixeira’s wrists as he backs the Brazilian against the fence. Teixeira throws a knee up the middle. Teixeira firing back with punches. He loses his mouthpiece again after eating a jab. They rinse it off, and the fight resumes. Body kick from Jones. Inside leg kick from Jones. Lead elbow from Jones lands. Hard side kick to the thigh from Teixeira, followed by an elbow. Jones’s variety of striking is totally overwhelming Teixeira. Spinning elbow from Jones. Jones with an uppercut and an elbow as Teixeira is backed up to the cage. Jones shoots and gets a takedown, and starts firing down punches as the round ends. 10-9 for the champ.
Round 5: Jones scores a takedown, Glover pops up. Jones with some long hooks that land. Jones is beating the tar out of Teixeira against the fence, and Teixeira loses his mouthpiece again. More hooks. An upward elbow from Jones. Teixeira lands an uppercut. Another upward elbow from Jones. Teixeira wobbles away. Jones presses Teixeira against the fence again, and they trade punches. Teixeira rolls out, takes the center of the cage. Jones dances out of range for the last 30 seconds, riding the clock out. There’s the final horn.
Jon Jones def. Glover Teixeira via unanimous decision (50-45 x 3).
Jones says most of his game-plan was improvised. Once he saw Teixeira winding up on his punches and realized that Teixeira was at a disadvantage in hand-fighting, Jones decided to make it a close-range fight and jam Teixeira up against the fence as much as possible. Jones now has more wins than anybody else in UFC light-heavyweight history (14). (Correction:Tito Ortiz earned 15 wins in the UFC, but obviously, they’re not counting him.)
Teixeira says a kick from Jones in the first round jacked up his shoulder and he might have also broken a rib. Dude got chewed up. But hey, we all saw that coming, right?
Liddell loves Jones’ overall game, but is not at all impressed with his punching power. He thinks if the two would have fought in his prime, he would have knocked Jones out.
“I think I would have been a horrible matchup for him,” Liddell told FOX Sports. “I would have walked through his punches and he wouldn’t have caught me with anything…I would have found a way to hit him,” Liddell said, “and I hit too hard.”
The “walked through his punches” part is my favorite; it’s just so Leben-esque. There’s a lot more I can say here, but our own Matt Saccarobeat me to it:
Those are the only correct responses. If you believe otherwise, you’re stuck in a fanboy time-warp. And Chuck? Please don’t turn into Royce Gracie. We’re begging you.
Liddell loves Jones’ overall game, but is not at all impressed with his punching power. He thinks if the two would have fought in his prime, he would have knocked Jones out.
“I think I would have been a horrible matchup for him,” Liddell told FOX Sports. “I would have walked through his punches and he wouldn’t have caught me with anything…I would have found a way to hit him,” Liddell said, “and I hit too hard.”
The “walked through his punches” part is my favorite; it’s just so Leben-esque. There’s a lot more I can say here, but our own Matt Saccarobeat me to it:
Those are the only correct responses. If you believe otherwise, you’re stuck in a fanboy time-warp. And Chuck? Please don’t turn into Royce Gracie. We’re begging you.
“Chael’s a nice guy. I’ve met him and hung out with him. I like him, and he’s a nice guy. I can’t stand the way he promotes fights.
“I understand what he’s doing; he wasn’t the most exciting fighter, so he made himself exciting by promoting the fight really well, and he got himself a couple of title shots for it. It works, but that whole crazy WWE-type stuff, that over-the-top stuff when you’re fighting a guy, doesn’t make sense to me, and I don’t like it.
“But it is what it is. Some of the fans like it, and it gets people to watch fights, that’s fine.”
This is what happens when you’re replaced by Ronda Rousey in the heart of Dana White — you get grumpy. I actually agree with Chuck in theory, but look, the majority of MMA fans are just frustrated pro wrestling marks who are all angrily suppressing their love for fake heat, dramatic storylines, and steel-chair run-ins. We know this, and that’s why Chael Sonnen can literally talk his way into stardom. Chael’s TUF Brazil beef with Wanderlei? Friggin’ gold.
Meanwhile, Chuck Liddell is just some guy who used to punch people so hard that they fell over, and didn’t say much during press conferences. If MMA fans were interested in that in the year 2014, Glover Teixeira would be a huge star. But he’s not. And that’s why we’re talking about Chuck Liddell right now, instead of the guy who’s actually fighting this Saturday. See how that works?
“It was something me and my management team asked for several months ago,” Jones said. “We thought it would be great to make sure everyone was playing fair in this fight. I’m not accusing my opponent of anything, but it’d just be great to see. [The Maryland State Athletic Commission] said they would need the UFC to approve it, the UFC approved it and paid for the whole thing and they never told me or Glover when our tests would come…
“I just think it’d be great to know that the athletes that are competing are competing clean,” Jones said. “I’ve never taken any kind of performance-enhancing drug and I don’t think any of my opponents should. I know that I’ve probably fought people in the past that have, and I’ve still come up with a way to win, but I just think it’s important that it goes away.
“I want our sport to be a clean sport. I want athletes to have pride and hard work and that’s why I thought I would put my money where my mouth is and get the test for myself. I have no right to accuse [Teixeira] of being on anything,” Jones said. “I know when people get chances to fight for world titles maybe they’ll do anything to get an edge, and I think the only edge you should have is work ethic so I thought we should both get tested.”
Now, in a follow-up interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Jones explained what really motivated him to request enhanced testing for this fight, and it has nothing to do with any lofty goals of cleaning up the sport. Basically, Glover Teixeira is 34 years old, he’s strong as an ox, and Jones finds that kind of suspicious:
(Jones is so committed to clean competition that he carries a bottle of fresh, hot urine with him at all times. / Photo via Getty)
“It was something me and my management team asked for several months ago,” Jones said. “We thought it would be great to make sure everyone was playing fair in this fight. I’m not accusing my opponent of anything, but it’d just be great to see. [The Maryland State Athletic Commission] said they would need the UFC to approve it, the UFC approved it and paid for the whole thing and they never told me or Glover when our tests would come…
“I just think it’d be great to know that the athletes that are competing are competing clean,” Jones said. “I’ve never taken any kind of performance-enhancing drug and I don’t think any of my opponents should. I know that I’ve probably fought people in the past that have, and I’ve still come up with a way to win, but I just think it’s important that it goes away.
“I want our sport to be a clean sport. I want athletes to have pride and hard work and that’s why I thought I would put my money where my mouth is and get the test for myself. I have no right to accuse [Teixeira] of being on anything,” Jones said. “I know when people get chances to fight for world titles maybe they’ll do anything to get an edge, and I think the only edge you should have is work ethic so I thought we should both get tested.”
Now, in a follow-up interview with ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Jones explained what really motivated him to request enhanced testing for this fight, and it has nothing to do with any lofty goals of cleaning up the sport. Basically, Glover Teixeira is 34 years old, he’s strong as an ox, and Jones finds that kind of suspicious:
“I just thought I would have Glover tested because he’s not the youngest fighter and everyone raves about how strong he is.”
“Some fighters, you just know they’re not on anything just by looking at them. Part of (Teixeira’s) mystique is his amazing physical strength and I just questioned it. I have no reason to think he’s on steroids but I do wonder how someone can be so strong.”
“I called Dana White and said, ‘Hey, I want Glover to take steroid tests for this fight,’” Jones said. “He asked me, “What, you think he’s on steroids?’ I told him I don’t know and I have no reason to accuse him of anything but I would like to be sure.”
“Dana told me how the Georges and Johny Hendricks thing became one big cluster because Georges wanted Johny to be tested by a certain company. He recommended I not go that way and talk to the commission directly so I said, ‘OK.’ ”
Alright, so maybe this isn’t going to help his narc reputation, but if Jones wants to use his pull as champion to demand additional drug testing for title fights, how is that a bad thing? Along with the recent ban on TRT and Dana White’s claim that all UFC fighters will be drug tested on fight cards going forward, the environment for PED users is growing more hostile. Baby steps, people.
The question now, is: What happens if Teixeira tests dirty for something and has to be pulled from the card on a week’s notice? Would you draft Phil Davis into the main event, or just cancel this thing altogether?
After being tentatively scheduled and scrapped threeseparatetimes, the UFC light-heavyweight championship fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira has been officially announced for the main event of UFC 172, which will take place April 26th at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It will be the UFC’s first visit to Baltimore, a magical place known for its scenic beauty.
Though Baltimore isn’t exactly a big-money fight town, Jones does have a geographical connection to the city, as his older brother Arthur Jones is a defensive end for the Baltimore Ravens. Plus, the champ’s east coast roots in New York State have led the UFC to repeatedly book him in Toronto and Newark during his title run, and Teixeira is a longtime resident of Connecticut, which is close enough I guess.
Jones is currently sitting as high as a -750 favorite for his bout against Teixeira. But this is MMA, and anything can happen. Right, Dalai Lama?
No other matchups for UFC 172 have been announced yet.
(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting.com)
After being tentatively scheduled and scrapped threeseparatetimes, the UFC light-heavyweight championship fight between Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira has been officially announced for the main event of UFC 172, which will take place April 26th at the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. It will be the UFC’s first visit to Baltimore, a magical place known for its scenic beauty.
Though Baltimore isn’t exactly a big-money fight town, Jones does have a geographical connection to the city, as his older brother Arthur Jones is a defensive end for the Baltimore Ravens. Plus, the champ’s east coast roots in New York State have led the UFC to repeatedly book him in Toronto and Newark during his title run, and Teixeira is a longtime resident of Connecticut, which is close enough I guess.
Jones is currently sitting as high as a -750 favorite for his bout against Teixeira. But this is MMA, and anything can happen. Right, Dalai Lama?
No other matchups for UFC 172 have been announced yet.
