Iron sharpens iron in mixed martial arts (MMA), and many fighters forge unbreakable bonds with their current and former training partners who they have shared blood, sweat, and tears with on a daily basis in the pursuit of excellence. However, it would be wishful thinking to believe that this is always the case. In this […]
Iron sharpens iron in mixed martial arts (MMA), and many fighters forge unbreakable bonds with their current and former training partners who they have shared blood, sweat, and tears with on a daily basis in the pursuit of excellence.
However, it would be wishful thinking to believe that this is always the case.
In this article, we’ll look at what happens when friendships fracture, team loyalty falls by the wayside, and full-blown feuds form between fighters who have fought in the UFC, leading to dirty laundry being aired in public and, in some cases, scores being settled the old-fashioned way in the Octagon.
10. Antonio Silva vs. Thiago Silva
Thiago Silva didn’t exactly leave the American Top Team (ATT) camp good terms in 2012, claiming he had wasted three of his years at the gym, and one former teammate who was only too happy to see him leave was fellow Brazilian Antonio ‘Bigfoot’ Silva.
Months later ‘Bigfoot’ called out his “mentally sick” ex-training partner to fight him in the Octagon, revealing that they had once been close friends until Thiago “stabbed me in the back and cheated me.”
’Bigfoot’ didn’t go into specifics, but denied it was due to his rival’s departure from ATT.
For his part, Thiago claimed that ‘Bigfoot’ was simply “mad” and “jealous” due to the fact he was the better fighter and had had repeatedly beat him up in training.
However, the 205-pound Silva wasn’t willing to back that up by fighting the 265-pound ‘Bigfoot’ at heavyweight and insisted they meet at a 220-pound catchweight instead.
’Bigfoot’ labeled him a coward, but said he’d consult with his doctor about whether the weight cut was viable.
The fight never materialized though, with Thiago being released by the UFC the following year after repeated allegations of domestic abuse by his estranged wife came to light.
Hector Lombard is a former Bellator champion and Olympian who has experienced mixed results since signing with the UFC. His opponent at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch earlier this month in Pittsburgh was Anthony Smith, a fighter with 39 bouts on his resume and looking to make an impact. That was a bad combination […]
Hector Lombard is a former Bellator champion and Olympian who has experienced mixed results since signing with the UFC. His opponent at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch earlier this month in Pittsburgh was Anthony Smith, a fighter with 39 bouts on his resume and looking to make an impact. That was a bad combination […]
Hector Lombard is a former Bellator champion and Olympian who has experienced mixed results since signing with the UFC. His opponent at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch earlier this month in Pittsburgh was Anthony Smith, a fighter with 39 bouts on his resume and looking to make an impact. That was a bad combination […]
Hector Lombard is a former Bellator champion and Olympian who has experienced mixed results since signing with the UFC. His opponent at UFC Fight Night: Rockhold vs. Branch earlier this month in Pittsburgh was Anthony Smith, a fighter with 39 bouts on his resume and looking to make an impact. That was a bad combination […]
While questionable judging marred an otherwise exciting GGG vs. Canelo Alvarez boxing match in Las Vegas last night (Sat., September 16, 2017), the UFC counter-programmed with the stellar UFC Fight Night 116 card in Pittsburgh. Filled with quick and brutal knockouts and thrilling performances, UFC Fight Night 116, featuring Luke Rockhold vs. David Branch, did […]
While questionable judging marred an otherwise exciting GGG vs. Canelo Alvarez boxing match in Las Vegas last night (Sat., September 16, 2017), the UFC counter-programmed with the stellar UFC Fight Night 116 card in Pittsburgh.
Filled with quick and brutal knockouts and thrilling performances, UFC Fight Night 116, featuring Luke Rockhold vs. David Branch, did not disappoint fight fans like GGG vs Alvarez did.
We broke down the six biggest takeaways from Saturday night’s fights, so check them out here:
6. You Can’t Sleep On Any UFC Event
Many fight fans dismissed Saturday’s card as a subpar offering from the UFC considering the stacked cards fans seem accustomed to lately.
Circumstances prevented Thiago Alves from fighting Mike “Platinum” Perry, and none of the fights on the Pittsburgh card drew much enthusiasm amongst fans.
But with eight out of 10 fights ending in a knockout or submission, it’s safe to say that fans shouldn’t have slept on this card.
Yes, it went toe-to-toe with GGG vs. Alvarez, but the end result was far more entertaining than anyone could have thought.
Moral of the story is never write off a card before it goes live. Because on paper, it could be underwhelming, but the end result could blow you away in terms of excitement.
Anthony Smith was blunt when talking about Hector Lombard. Tomorrow night (Sept. 16), Smith will take on Lombard on the main card of UFC Fight Night 116. The two fighters weighed in earlier today and they both tipped the scales at 186 pounds. They’ll do battle inside the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. MMAFighting.com […]
Anthony Smith was blunt when talking about Hector Lombard. Tomorrow night (Sept. 16), Smith will take on Lombard on the main card of UFC Fight Night 116. The two fighters weighed in earlier today and they both tipped the scales at 186 pounds. They’ll do battle inside the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. MMAFighting.com […]
Credit where it’s due: Luke Rockhold knows how to nurse a wound.
It was well over a year ago that Rockhold lost his UFC middleweight title to Michael Bisping. Despite being a massive favorite in his first title defense, Rockhold suffered an unceremonio…
Credit where it’s due: Luke Rockhold knows how to nurse a wound.
It was well over a year ago that Rockhold lost his UFC middleweight title to Michael Bisping. Despite being a massive favorite in his first title defense, Rockhold suffered an unceremonious first-round beating to a man six years his senior.
He found a way to shoulder on. A dalliance with singer/actress/MMA enthusiast DemiLovato may have been helpful. Ditto his launching of a professional modeling career. There’s also the small fact that Rockhold is rich and famous (at least in an MMA context) and had the luxury of sitting out for a year in anticipation of “the right situation” coming along.
That right situation, evidently, was David Branch, who recently reached the UFC after being a two-division champ in the World Series of Fighting promotion. These two will headline UFC Fight Night 116, going down Saturday from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Despite Rockhold‘s presence and stated desire for his return to be accompanied by M-80s and Blue Angels, this is not the world’s sexiest card. And yet, there are several bouts worth watching, especially since it’s all freely available on Fox Sports 1.
Let us now separate wheat from chaff and identify the three fights you can’t miss on the evenings. Betting odds courtesy of OddsShark.
Bantamweight
Luke Sanders (11-1) vs. Felipe Arantes (18-8-1)
Odds: Sanders -250
Airs on: Fox Sports 1
Don’t let his last loss to IuriAlcantara fool you. Alcantara‘s an otherworldly grappler, and even so it was a bit of a fluky submission finish. Sanders remains one of the brightest prospects in the bantamweight division.
Sanders is violent. He likes to get his takedowns and deploy heavy ground striking, but to do that against the veteran Arantes, he’s going to have to get through a dangerous striking attack. Arantes is good everywhere, but he’s at his best when he’s throwing kicks. There should be some high-octane exchanges on the feet before Sanders eventually gets this to the ground. He should avoid the Hail Mary submission this time, but you never know.
This one’s kind of interesting from a marketing standpoint. Lombard is far better known than Smith, but at age 39 and on a three-plus-year losing streak, the bloom is off the rose a bit for the Cuban-Australian. Smith, on the other hand, is a dangerous fighter with no name recognition whatsoever.
That equation could change Saturday.
These two have a lot of fights between them. Ditto the knockouts, with a combined 32. For all his judo skills, Lombard fell hard for the quick finish long ago, and there’s nothing to suggest he’ll be changing that up anytime soon. But Smith, exactly 10 years Lombard’s junior, should be equal to the task, not only weathering the storm but returning a few lightning bolts of his own.
Lombard has faced cardio concerns for years now. If he doesn’t pace himself here—and, again, old dog new tricks—he could be a pivotal stepping stone for an exciting younger fighter in Smith.
Middleweight
Luke Rockhold (15-3) vs. David Branch (21-3)
Odds: Rockhold -208
Airs on: Fox Sports 1
In his first UFC fight after a six-year absence that included his two-division title run in WSOF, Branch didn’t exactly light the world on fire in a close split-decision win over KrzysztofJotko. But Jotko‘s good, and Branch got the job done. He might just need a little more against the former middleweight champ.
Branch has stated he wants to “shut down” Rockhold and earn a finish, per The MMA Hour (h/t MMA Mania). Rockhold has predicted a domination so thorough that Branch will “panic.” As they say, something will need to give here.
Rockhold has been working with famed kickboxer and instructor Henri Hooft, so his striking will be on point. You know his jiu-jitsu will always be top notch. He has good size and will probably look to attack Branch from the perimeter with kicks and lay back for the counter.
Branch has a fairly basic striking game, and it may be hard for him to get close enough to ply his jab or initiate a clinch. He is also a great wrestler and grappler, but opponents aren’t safe anywhere on the ground against Rockhold. It’s hard to see Branch holding Rockhold down and neutralizing him for 25 minutes.
Still, Branch is a battle-tested veteran with consummate grinding skills. Rockhold is the favorite for a reason but bigger upsets have occurred.
Credit where it’s due: Luke