An intriguing welterweight match with significant divisional relevance has been confirmed for UFC 156 by the promotion’s Brazilian wing.Erick Silva and Jay Hieron will clash this coming February on the still-growing Las Vegas card, which takes place at…
An intriguing welterweight match with significant divisional relevance has been confirmed for UFC 156 by the promotion’s Brazilian wing.
Erick Silva and Jay Hieron will clash this coming February on the still-growing Las Vegas card, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. Both welterweights are coming off hard losses, but this fight should provide some critical support for the upcoming event.
UFC Brazil just made the call earlier today via its official Twitter account:
Luta do #UFC156, dia 2/2/13 – Erick Silva Vs. Jay Hieron – CONFIRMADISSIMA! — UFC Brasil (@ufc_brasil) November 21, 2012
That makes the fifth official fight for UFC 156, which is currently headlined by a featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar. Here’s how the card looks so far:
Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia
Erick Silva vs. Jay Hieron
Erick Silva most recently turned heads with a gritty “Fight of the Night” performance in Rio de Janeiro, battling Jon Fitch to a decision at UFC 153. He put up a solid fight with tight submission attempts but eventually wilted under the pressure of Fitch’s consistent wrestling attack.
Hieron is coming off a loss against Jake Ellenberger at UFC on FX 5, but unlike previous UFC appearances, the former Bellator competitor is not getting bounced after one defeat. Hieron is currently on his third UFC stint with prior runs ending in one-and-done losses against Georges St-Pierre and now-retired Jonathan Goulet.
Both Silva and Hieron are still hot commodities in the welterweight division despite recent setbacks. Silva may even find himself entering the title hunt with a win—the young Team Nogueira fighter entered the UFC on a 10-fight winning streak and hadn’t legitimately lost a fight in the promotion before facing Fitch.
Siding with the judges who scored Friday night’s co-main event that saw Jake Ellenberger earn a decision victory in rematch with the first man to defeat him in professional competition, Jay Hieron, isn’t an unfathomable idea or ludicrous st…
Siding with the judges who scored Friday night’s co-main event that saw Jake Ellenberger earn a decision victory in rematch with the first man to defeat him in professional competition, Jay Hieron, isn’t an unfathomable idea or ludicrous stance.
That said, it’s not exactly outlandish to reach the conclusion that Jay Hieron did more than enough work to take a decision himself.
An incredibly close fight, the vast majority of the bout took place from a vertical position, as both men looked to gain the upper hand in an extremely closely contested technical kickboxing match.
Hieron managed to keep Ellenberger just outside of the pocket and in comfortable range to land his jab and prevent “The Juggernaut” from closing the distance (sans a few brief scares), and he utilized a varied attack that seemed to leave his foe befuddled for stretches.
When Ellenberger did force his way into the pocket, he did a solid job of making Hieron pay the price. He staggered “The Thoroughbred” on a couple occasions, and managed to score a flash knockdown in the fading minutes of the final round.
Incorporate a pair of takedowns (one of which proved virtually irrelevant as Hieron spent no time on his back and was up and mobile in moments, one of which yielded some nice punishment from Ellenberger that left Hieron a bloody mess) and it seemed apparent that Jake was the far more imposing specimen physically.
I simply refuse to believe Hieron matched Ellenberger’s pure strength.
That said, I saw a fight that the judges didn’t see. I saw Hieron working constantly, exhibiting a deeper pool of tools with which to dive into, and ultimately earning more points than the perennial contender, Ellenberger.
These eyes (which I consider pretty unbiased) viewed this fight without any preconceived notions or bias affixed: the truth is, I’m a pretty neutral guy in my view of both men. These are two tough guys who’ve been around forever and fought a wealth of tough opponents.
Prior to this bout, I wasn’t leaping to brand anyone a sure-fire winner, and I sat perched atop a fence of complete indecision.
I saw Jay Hieron earn a decision (29-28) nod over Jake Ellenberger. According to Fightmatrix.com, my opinion isn’t mind numbingly absurd: HieronoutlandedEllenberger by a tally of 43 to 27 total strikes, 32 to 25 in terms of significant shots landed.
Was Hieron the more aesthetically pleasing of the two to watch? No, I wouldn’t say he was. I would however say he was the busier of the two who did just enough to win. To be swept on the scorecards is stretching reality, just a hair, but that’s on the judges, not me.
Ultimately, the bout was too close to make a serious fuss over. I’m not angered in any way by the fact that Ellenberger was awarded the decision, he’s a game guy who always shows up to hurl leather, and he’s the owner of the kind of power that your “average” fighter would kill to possess.
He’s the kind of guy you really want to see fight. He’s just not the guy who should have won this bout.
(Travis plans to test Bigfoot’s chin tonight. Unfortunately, Bigfoot’s chin has already been tested by a team of doctors, and nobody can figure out what the hell is wrong with it. / Photo via CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
Fresh off his short-notice victory against the UFC 151 pay-per-view, Jim Genia is back again to liveblog tonight’s FX main card. Round-by-round results will be piling up after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’ve heard any good jokes lately, please share them in the comments section.
(Travis plans to test Bigfoot’s chin tonight. Unfortunately, Bigfoot’s chin has already been tested by a team of doctors, and nobody can figure out what the hell is wrong with it. / Photo via CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
Fresh off his short-notice victory against the UFC 151 pay-per-view, Jim Genia is back again to liveblog tonight’s FX main card. Round-by-round results will be piling up after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’ve heard any good jokes lately, please share them in the comments section.
Preliminary card results:
– Yves Edwards vs. Jeremy Stephens – Bout Scratched Due to Stephens Getting Arrested
– Michael Johnson def. Danny Castillo via KO (Punch) at 1:06, Round 2
– Jacob Volkmann def. Shane Roller via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:38, Round 1
– Diego Nunes def. Bart Palaszewski via Unanimous Decision
– Darren Uyenoyama def. Phil Harris via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:38, Round 2
– Marcus LeVesseur def. Carlo Prater via Split Decision
– Mike Pierce def. Aaron Simpson via KO (Punch) at :29, Round 2
Howdy. Jim Genia here. Ready for some UFC on FX nonsensical ramblings?
First up: Justin Edwards vs. Josh Neer
Edwards, who trains under Jorge Gurgel, has appeared in the Octagon three times but has yet to impress. Neer… man, that dude be crazy.
Round 1: Edwards comes out swinging punches and flinging raw aggression like it’s free. Neer counters by ducking his head and angling for a takedown – which plays right into a jumping arm-in guillotine that Edwards does not hesitate to slap on. Neer goes to the canvas and makes some motions like he’s going to defend, but soon he’s asleep, and Edwards has earned himself the sweet technical submission at :45 of Round 1. Okay, Edwards looks impressive now.
Justin Edwards def. Josh Neer via Technical Submission (Guillotine) at :45, Round 1
Up next: John Dodson vs. Jussier Formiga
The good news is that Dodson and Formiga are fighting for number one contender status for the flyweight title. The bad news is… ah, there is no bad news. This fight is going to rock.
Round 1: It took about a minute of dancing and circling before these two gentlemen began stepping in and swinging with bad intentions, with the American aiming crosses to the body and the Brazilian looking for a home for his counter right in the neighborhood of Dodson’s chin. But fast footwork prevented either from really nailing the other, so Formiga shot for a takedown around the three-minute mark that was easily stuffed. Another takedown was stuffed, and another, and the crowd began to boo at the lack of furious engagement.
Round 2: The dancing continued into the second, broken up by intermittent flashes of violence – including a winging overhand by Dodson 45 seconds in, and a lunging right by Formiga two minutes in. Thankfully, three minutes into the round, Dodson caught Formiga with left as the Brazilian was stepping forward, and for a few seconds, Dodson was the predator hunting its prey. Formiga, to his credit, managed to recover, but the end came soon after when the TUF winner blasted him in the gut and then dropped him with a left square in the chops. Formiga fell, rolled over, and was helpless against the subsequent barrage of fists, prompting the referee to jump in. The official time of the TKO was 4:35 of Round 2.
John Dodson def. Jussier Formiga via TKO (Punches) at 4:35, Round 2
Next: Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron
Once upon a time, Ellenberger and Hieron fought in the IFL and Hieron came away with the decision. But time has presumably changed these men, with Ellenberger establishing himself as a top UFC competitor and Hieron becoming that poor dude who can never seem to get a UFC fight. All that changes now, though!
Round 1: Mindful of Ellenberger’s power and seemingly eager to catch his foe moving forward, Hieron spends the first couple minutes of the round firing off single strikes – jabs, crosses, high-kicks, and even a couple spinning back-kicks. But his patience erodes when a minute and a half is left, and he shoots for a single-leg that Ellenberger hops out of, and he nearly catches him with some hard counters of his own.
Round 2: The round opens with Hieron dinging Ellenberger with a counter, and soon after going for a takedown that is deftly avoided. A sudden change in tactics has Ellenberger nailing a takedown of his own, and for the following minute, he’s able to bang up Hieron and open up a cut near the Xtreme Couture fighter’s eye. Though bloodied, Hieron keeps his wits about him and manages to scramble back to his feet, and for the last two minutes of the period they dance the “I’m Afraid of You, You’re Afraid of Me” Waltz.
Round 3: Their wariness leads to more dancing in the third frame, although the action is halted briefly a minute in when Hieron kicks Ellenberger in the junk. After a restart, Ellenberger goes for a takedown that Hieron squirms out of. Does their mutual respect color how they fight throughout the rest of the bout? Sadly, it does, as Hieron maintains a steady output of single, long-range kicks and punches while Ellenberger waits for that one big opening that never seems to come. Hieron does fall in the final seconds of the fight, but it isn’t clear if it’s a slip or if Ellenberger has actually tagged him, and the bout goes to the judges. The winner? Ellenberger by unanimous decision, but yeah, it’s close.
Jake Ellenberger def. Jay Hieron via Unanimous Decision
Next, the main event: Travis Browne vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
It’s hard to place where exactly in the heavyweight division Browne and Silva belong, especially since Dana White declared that Stefan Struve’s win over some scrub somehow catapulted the dude to number five in the rankings (uh, what?). Regardless, big men fighting. Hooray!
Round 1: Browne comes out throwing colorful kicks, but Silva informs him with a right hand that he better check himself before he wrecks himself. They exchange more cautiously, and a minute and a half in the Brazilian comes in, eats a knee, but still manages to tie Browne up against the fence. After a few seconds Browne escapes, but it’s suddenly evident that something is wrong with his knee, and after almost a minute of him limping around, Bigfoot steps in with a huge right that drops Browne against the cage. The fists to the side of Browne’s head may or may not have been needed, but they happened anyway, and when referee Herb Dean jumped in, it’s official: Silva has won via TKO. The time of the stoppage was 3:27 of Round 1.
Antonio Silva def. Travis Browne via TKO (Punches) at 3:27, Round 1
Afterwards, an extremely happy Silva thanked the crowd for showing up, and spoke of how much he’d trained for the fight.
For the pastseveralUFCevents, CagePotato reader/contributor Dan “Get Off Me” George has been holding down the Gambling Addiction Enabler’s with the poise and classiness of a 16th century Bolognese swordsman. Unfortunately for you, he only likes to bet on the big time PPV events, so you’re stuck with me for the time being. Fortunately for you, I write a lot less than he does and love to get reckless with my hard earned cash, so let’s do this! Listed below are the odds for UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot, courtesy of BestFightOdds, followed by my advice which simply put has never been wrong not once ever.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Yves Edwards (+175) vs. Jeremy Stephens (-225)
Danny Castillo (+130) vs. Michael Johnson (-160)
Dennis Hallman (+190) vs. Thiago Tavares (-250)
Shane Roller (+150) vs. Jacob Volkmann (-180)
Diego Nunes (-180) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+150)
Phil Harris (+230) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (-290)
Marcus LeVesseur (-105) vs. Carlo Prater (-125)
Mike Pierce (-170) vs. Aaron Simpson (+150)
Thoughts…
For the pastseveralUFCevents, CagePotato reader/contributor Dan “Get Off Me” George has been holding down the Gambling Addiction Enabler’s with the poise and classiness of a 16th century Bolognese swordsman. Unfortunately for you, he only likes to bet on the big time PPV events, so you’re stuck with me for the time being. Fortunately for you, I write a lot less than he does and love to get reckless with my hard earned cash, so let’s do this! Listed below are the odds for UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot, courtesy of BestFightOdds, followed by my advice which simply put has never been wrong not once ever.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Yves Edwards (+175) vs. Jeremy Stephens (-225)
Danny Castillo (+130) vs. Michael Johnson (-160)
Dennis Hallman (+190) vs. Thiago Tavares (-250)
Shane Roller (+150) vs. Jacob Volkmann (-180)
Diego Nunes (-180) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+150)
Phil Harris (+230) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (-290)
Marcus LeVesseur (-105) vs. Carlo Prater (-125)
Mike Pierce (-170) vs. Aaron Simpson (+150)
Thoughts…
As I previously mentioned, I am going to be short and sweet for this week’s enabler. That means no prop bets and no fight-by-fight analysis, just a straight look at who I think is being under/overvalued and a suggested parlay.
The Good Dogs: Your best chances at upsets in my opinion are heavily based around the grappling-oriented gameplans of several fighters on the card. Hallman vs. Tavares, Volkmann vs. Roller, and Castillo vs. Johnson will be determined by the abilities of Volkmann, Hallman, and Castillo to get the fight to the ground and grapple out a decision. In all three cases, you are looking at only a slight to moderate underdog hovering in the +150 to +200 range. Of these three matches, the person who stands the best chance of implementing this gameplan is Dennis Hallman, who holds a notable size advantage over most every lightweight out there including Tavares. Although he has looked great lately and has a solid Jiu-Jitsu base, I think Hallman should be able stay heavy on top of Tavares and avoid getting submitted long enough to score a close decision victory.
While we all know that Shane Roller is undoubtedly more well rounded than Jacob Volkmann, we also know that it takes a hell of a wrestler to deal with the grappling prowess of the Minnesotan. Roller, while being a talented grappler in his own right, does not lead me to believe that he can defend Volkmann’s takedowns when a wrestler like Danny Castillo couldn’t. Volkmann has shown that he can be submitted by an opponent with an offensive guard, but the key to a Roller victory here is going to be keeping the fight standing. Roller showed in the Thiago Tavares fight that he does pack some power, so if you think he’ll be able to fend off Volkmann’s takedowns for long enough to land a haymaker, I’d suggest a wager on him as well. Personally, I just don’t think that will be the case. Castillo vs. Johnson is in the same vein. Johnson will be looking to keep things on the feet, but Castillo is a stellar grappler who is strong on top and will probably be looking to exploit Johnson’s somewhat weak submission defense. If he is able to get Johnson to the mat in the first round, expect him to dictate the action for the rest of the fight.
There is one other option: Bart Palaszewski vs. Diego Nunes.
This fight is a little easier to gauge: Both men are primarily strikers, both are coming off losses, and both are 1-2 in their past 3. The difference in their striking lies in pure aggressiveness; Nunes is known for using his kicks to keep his opponents at bay and has shown little killer instinct in the past couple of years, whereas “Bartimus” loves to drag things into a good old fashioned brawl and let the fists fly. Bart should also hold an advantage in the grappling game, so expect to see him utilize some clinch work and dirty boxing to eek out a decision over Nunes if things get hairy on the feet.
Come to think of it, that was pretty much a fight-by-fight analysis. MOVING ON.
Stay the Hell Away From: The main event. Antonio Silva is not listed as a big enough dog to risk a bet on and Browne has notched impressive victories over Stefan Struve and Chad Griggs in between weak performances against Cheick Kongo and Rob Broughton. Browne should easily take this, but you don’t want to risk your parlay on whether or not he’ll have an off night.
Official CagePotato Parlay: Pierce – Stephens – Dodson – Ellenberger
Official CagePotato Parlay #2: Pierce – Hallman – Dodson
Travis Browne, Antonio Silva, Jay Hieron, and all of the players in tomorrow night’s UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot card are set to hit the scales tonight from the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event will be broadcast live starting at 5 p.m. EST, and wouldn’t you know it, we happen to have TOTALLY EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE of the weigh-ins right here!
OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but we will be covering all the action, so make sure to swing by at 5 p.m. today for the staredowns and 8 p.m. tomorrow for all our liveblog coverage of UFC on FX 5.
Travis Browne, Antonio Silva, Jay Hieron, and all of the players in tomorrow night’s UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot card are set to hit the scales tonight from the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event will be broadcast live starting at 5 p.m. EST, and wouldn’t you know it, we happen to have TOTALLY EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE of the weigh-ins right here!
OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but we will be covering all the action, so make sure to swing by at 5 p.m. today for the staredowns and 8 p.m. tomorrow for all our liveblog coverage of UFC on FX 5.
MAIN CARD (FX 8 p.m.)
-Travis Browne (246) vs. Antonio Silva(266)
-Jake Ellenberger (170) vs. Jay Hieron (170)
-John Dodson (126) vs. Jussier Formiga (126)
-Josh Neer (171) vs. Justin Edwards (170)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook/FUEL 5 p.m.)
-Yves Edwards (156) vs. Jeremy Stephens (156)
-Danny Castillo (156) vs. Michael Johnson (156)
-Dennis Hallman ( ) vs. Thiago Tavares ( )**
-Shane Roller (156) vs. Jacob Volkmann (155)
-Diego Nunes (146) vs. Bart Palaszewski (147*)
-Phil Harris (125) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (125)
-Marcus LeVesseur (156) vs. Carlo Prater (156)
-Mike Pierce (171) vs. Aaron Simpson (171)
*Palaszewski has an hour to lose the pound.
**Apparently Hallman was seven pounds over and struck a deal with Tavares that if he could get down to three pounds over the fight would be on. He failed to do so and the fight was cancelled but Tavares will be getting his show money. Well, there goes that bet, and likely Hallman’s UFC career given the fact that he missed weight for his last fight as well and exposed his balls on TV before that.
(Reason #6: To get your lady in the mood, obviously.)
Keeping in line with last weekend’s UFC on FUEL 5 event, the UFC is casually dropping off another heavyweight sure-to-be-slugfest in our laps with this Friday’s UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot card, which, while not as stacked as the Nottingham affair, does provide plenty of reasons to tune in to a channel that half the country actually has. Plus, it goes down in the state who once had the balls to elect this man Governor, so even if the fights somehow end up sucking, there’s a good chance that the crowd will make up for it in the stands. Opal’s Glamorama, motherfuckers!
Yeah, we know it sounds cheesy, but there is simply no better way to describe the likelihood of extreme violence that Friday’s main event will bring. Antonio Silva has served little more purpose than a 265-pound punching back in his last two performances, dropping brutal losses to Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez under the Strikeforce and UFC banners. We’re not sure how a chin straight out of Tango and Cash is somehow being questioned, but needless to say, “Bigfoot” is probably going to be looking to utilize his BJJ background and devastating ground and pound to secure a victory against an undefeated KO artist like “Hapa.” The question is, will he be able to take it to the ground? Browne is no slouch on the mat, and has picked up nine of his thirteen victories in the first round, including five in the first minute(!!!!), so Silva better look for the takedown early if he values life on the outside of Dr. Moreau’s island.
(Reason #6: To get your lady in the mood, obviously.)
Keeping in line with last weekend’s UFC on FUEL 5 event, the UFC is casually dropping off another heavyweight sure-to-be-slugfest in our laps with this Friday’s UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot card, which, while not as stacked as the Nottingham affair, does provide plenty of reasons to tune in to a channel that half the country actually has. Plus, it goes down in the state who once had the balls to elect this man Governor, so even if the fights somehow end up sucking, there’s a good chance that the crowd will make up for it in the stands. Opal’s Glamorama, motherfuckers!
Yeah, we know it sounds cheesy, but there is simply no better way to describe the likelihood of extreme violence that Friday’s main event will bring. Antonio Silva has served little more purpose than a 265-pound punching back in his last two performances, dropping brutal losses to Daniel Cormier and Cain Velasquez under the Strikeforce and UFC banners. We’re not sure how a chin straight out of Tango and Cash is somehow being questioned, but needless to say, “Bigfoot” is probably going to be looking to utilize his BJJ background and devastating ground and pound to secure a victory against an undefeated KO artist like “Hapa.” The question is, will he be able to take it to the ground? Browne is no slouch on the mat, and has picked up nine of his thirteen victories in the first round, including five in the first minute(!!!!), so Silva better look for the takedown early if he values life on the outside of Dr. Moreau’s island.
#2 – The Next Flyweight Title Challenger Will Be Decided
John Dodson is the closest thing the UFC has to a walking cartoon character. Specifically, Roger Rabbit. And now he’s knocking on the door of a title shot. It’s hard to believe that the TUF 14 bantamweight winner could already be considered a top contender, but given the slim pickings of the weight class, we could easily get behind a Dodson/Johnson title fight if he is able to defeat Jussier da Silva. That’s no easy task, however, as da Silva has been on an absolute tear since dropping his only loss to Ian McCall back in February of 2011: five wins, four submission stoppages. In a division that is already facing criticism for it’s “lack of exciting finishes” (criticism that we think is for the birds), the Dodson/da Silva fight looks like it will easily quell that walla for the time being.
If history is any indication, Hieron will likely slip on a pipe backstage and knock himself unconscious come Friday night, but on the off chance he doesn’t, we will finally get to see “The Thoroughbred” test himself against one of the best welterweights in the division in Jake Ellenberger. “The Juggernaut (bitch!)” is coming off a tough loss to streaking comeback artist Martin Kampmann at the TUF 15 Finale and will clearly be looking for an impressive win over Hieron to launch himself right back into the list of contenders. Expect fireworks here, folks.
What UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot lacks in name power, it makes up for in the chance to witness a good old fashioned dicknailing. You know what we’re talking about, and so does Josh Neer, who was viciously dicknailed by Mike Pyle in his last appearance at UFC on FX 3. Suffice it to say, with matchups like Jeremy Stephens vs. Yves Edwards, Ellenberger vs. Hieron, the presence of Josh Neer (who could be on either end of the equation), and of course our main event, somebody is going to get dicknailed tomorrow night. We just hope that whoever’s running the liveblog has the good sense to use the term when the moment arrives.
An intriguing welterweight match with significant divisional relevance has been confirmed for UFC 156 by the promotion’s Brazilian wing.
