Tag: Heavyweight

Now That We Know Derrick Lewis Is The Real Deal, Does He Beat The Creme De La Creme In The UFC?

Another great UFC card has come and gone, and as usual I will be the killjoy to send you crashing back to reality from the high heights of last weekend’s events. Today’s candidate will be Derek “The Black Beast” Lewis after his heroic performance against Travis Browne at UFC Halifax

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Real Talk

Another great UFC card has come and gone, and as usual I will be the killjoy to send you crashing back to reality from the high heights  of last weekend’s events. Today’s candidate will be Derek “The Black Beast” Lewis after his heroic performance against Travis Browne at UFC Halifax.

Although Lewis displayed heart as well as KO power to end Travis Browne in the second round, he didn’t exactly look great up to that point. Don’t get me wrong, Travis Browne is a world class athlete and uses that athleticism to separate him from his large bellied counterparts, but his achilles heel is getting backed up against the cage and clipped, to a certain degree there’s a formula with this guy. With that being said he was still seconds away from potentially ending that fight. A situation I’m not sure Lewis would’ve survived against an opponent with a not so hot button chin.

The problem with Lewis is that he looks like a basic one dimensional fighter. I get it, his ground game is underrated and he moves deceptively well for a big fella, but you can say the same about Roy Nelson. His body is left wide open and he has an aggressive move forward style that i believe only works when you get to a certain level of competition. He relies on his strength and size but that will only get you so far when you’re going against the best of the best. Do Santos, Miocic, Werdum, Ben Rothwell,  Alistair Overeem, these guys are skilled to the tits. I just don’t see Lewis getting to the top in his current form. Speaking of form, he may also have to drop a few pounds to keep his questionable cardio up. This is a catch 22 because he uses a lot of that weight to pressure his opponents. According to Joe Rogan he can balloon up to 280 lbs after weight-ins,  but that information is unconfirmed.

As contrary as it sounds, I really do like Derrick Lewis and hope he can be heavyweight champion one day. But if you’re asking for an honest opinion, I see him as a bridesmaid.

What do you guys think of the “Black Beast”, is he just getting started?

 

Lionel Harris-Spence is a writer, filmmaker, and functioning alcoholic. You can catch him screaming obscenities at flat screens.

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UFC 203 And The Crazy Antics Of The Heavyweight Division

So UFC 203 was pretty crazy. No, not the Mickey Gall domination of CM Punk, that played out pretty much how many had predicted. No, what was crazy was all the chaos in the final two fights of the night. For my money the heavyweight division is perhaps the least interesting weight class in combat sports. Sure, the big guys can produce some pretty devastating knock outs and moments straight out of a Rocky movie, but it’s usually at the expense of clean technique. With that said, the final two fights of the night produced the most fireworks on the main card.

The post UFC 203 And The Crazy Antics Of The Heavyweight Division appeared first on Cagepotato.

UFC 203 = Pure Chaos

So UFC 203 was pretty crazy. No, not the Mickey Gall domination of CM Punk, that played out pretty much how many had predicted. No, what was crazy was all the chaos in the final two fights of the night. For my money the heavyweight division is perhaps the least interesting weight class in combat sports. Sure, the big guys can produce some pretty devastating knock outs and moments straight out of a Rocky movie, but it’s usually at the expense of clean technique. With that said, the final two fights of the night produced the most fireworks on the main card.

Fabricio Werdum went full Mortal Kombat as he flew across the cage to land a flying side kick to Travis Browne’s jaw. It was unexpected, it was dynamic, and it was only the beginning of the madness that occurred when these two rivals were sharing the cage this past Saturday. The next strangest came about due to Browne taking an impromptu time out in the middle of a fight. Granted he broke his finger, but there’s a time and place for licking your wounds and it certainly isn’t during a match.

Once the bout was decided and Fabricio Werdum was about to be declared the victor, another point of interest arouse as Edmond Tarverdyan began a verbal assault on the former heavyweight champion. Werdum was having none of it how ever and answered back with a push kick that sent both fighter’s camps into a bit of a frenzy.

Things were contained rather quickly before things played out the same as they did when Jason “Mayhem” Miller was beat down by the 209 crew back in the good old days of Strikeforce. When things were all said and done, Werdum was not only announced the winner of the match, but was able to create enough controversy and interest that could easily see him in a title match against Stipe Miocic in the very near future.

Speaking of the UFC heavyweight champion, the main event saw Miocic successfully defend his belt against Alistair Overeem in a slobberknocker of a throwdown. The two men traded concussive blows until Overeem’s notoriously suspect chin gave out on him and Miocic was the last man standing. It was a pretty exciting fight while it lasted and proved that there’s a reason why heavyweight fights are treated with such respect and awe. Heavyweight may not be my favorite division, but with guys like Stipe Miocic, Alistair Overeem, and Fabricio Werdum around, you can bet that interest is sure to be long lasting for years to come.

What did you think of UFC 203 and it’s odd and exciting heavyweight clashes?

Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.

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MMA’s 12 Best Heavyweights Of All-Time

The heavyweight division has long been the bright spot in combat sports. From boxing legends like Muhammad Ali and “Iron” Mike Tyson, to MMA greats Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum, fans have always been drawn to heavyweights. From their towering structures, to their bone crushing knockout power, heavyweights have never had trouble drawing fans to

The post MMA’s 12 Best Heavyweights Of All-Time appeared first on LowKick MMA.

The heavyweight division has long been the bright spot in combat sports.

From boxing legends like Muhammad Ali and “Iron” Mike Tyson, to MMA greats Fedor Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum, fans have always been drawn to heavyweights.

From their towering structures, to their bone crushing knockout power, heavyweights have never had trouble drawing fans to seats, or eyes to televisions.

Currently in MMA, the UFC’s heavyweight division is at an interesting stage.

With injuries running rampant throughout the upper echelon of the division over the last few years, a new champion has recently rose to prominence, as well as a wealth of new contenders who have made the division quite cloudy, yet exciting at the same time.

With that being said, it’s interesting to take a dive deep into the rich history of MMA’s most prolific division, and not only within the UFC, but within the sport as a whole.

Read on to see the 12 best heavyweights of all-time:

The post MMA’s 12 Best Heavyweights Of All-Time appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Sorting out the UFC Heavyweight Title Picture

For the first time since we saw Cain Velasquez batter Junior dos Santos for a second time at UFC 166 in October 2013, the heavyweight title picture feels open—wide open. Call it a shot at newly crowned heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum (whom I picked to defeat Velasquez at UFC 188, mind you), but he doesn’t […]

For the first time since we saw Cain Velasquez batter Junior dos Santos for a second time at UFC 166 in October 2013, the heavyweight title picture feels open—wide open. Call it a shot at newly crowned heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum (whom I picked to defeat Velasquez at UFC 188, mind you), but he doesn’t […]

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The Rock Vows to Take UFC Heavyweight Champ Fabricio Werdum Out…to Lunch

Dwayne Johnson, known to WWE fans by his ring name The Rock, is a very busy man. That said, he managed to carve out some time in his schedule to call out UFC heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum…to a nice lunch. Check out his Sunday post on Twitter (via UFC’s Twitter account): Looking forward to #Ballers […]

Dwayne Johnson, known to WWE fans by his ring name The Rock, is a very busy man. That said, he managed to carve out some time in his schedule to call out UFC heavyweight champ Fabricio Werdum…to a nice lunch. Check out his Sunday post on Twitter (via UFC’s Twitter account): Looking forward to #Ballers […]

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UFC Heavyweight History Shows It’s Tough to Be Great When Chaos Reigns

Since the beginning, the only real constants in the UFC heavyweight division have been disorder and delay. Even in a sport that so often thrives on chaos, the 265-pound class has always been an abject mess. It stumbles from one calamity to the next, stuck in perpetual rebuilding mode, as one champion after another proves […]

Since the beginning, the only real constants in the UFC heavyweight division have been disorder and delay. Even in a sport that so often thrives on chaos, the 265-pound class has always been an abject mess. It stumbles from one calamity to the next, stuck in perpetual rebuilding mode, as one champion after another proves […]

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