UFC Rankings Update: Junior Dos Santos Moves Up After ‘Big Ben’ Win

As expected there was a decent amount of shakeup in the official UFC rankings following last Sunday’s (April 10, 2016 UFC Fight Night 86 from the Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia, and the biggest shift was former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos’ move back up the rankings for his dominantly one-sided win over previously rising

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As expected there was a decent amount of shakeup in the official UFC rankings following last Sunday’s (April 10, 2016 UFC Fight Night 86 from the Zagreb Arena in Zagreb, Croatia, and the biggest shift was former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos’ move back up the rankings for his dominantly one-sided win over previously rising Ben Rothwell.

For his much-needed statement win, dos Santos moved up from No. 5 to No. 4 in the 265-pound rankings. Andrei Arlovski moved up to No. 5 as a result, and ‘Big’ Ben dropped to No. 6 for his first loss in his last five fights.

Also at heavyweight, monstrous power slugger Derrick Lewis cracked the Top 15 at No. 13 for his first round knockout win over veteran Gabriel Gonzaga. Former champion Frank Mir was also flagged for a potential USADA violation, and it may have played a part in his move down one spot to No. 11, allowing Roy Nelson to claim the No. 10 spot.

In the lighter weight classes, there was somehow a decent number of surprising shifts even though no specific fights caused them to happen in any way. For example, Renan Barao rose two spots in the bantamweight ranks to No. 2 despite the fact that he will move up to featherweight to battle Jeremy Stephens on May 29, moving title contender Urijah Faber and Raphael Assuncao down a spot.

In a similar move, Donald Cerrone rose 3 spots in in the lightweight ranks to No. 6 despite the fact that he will face Patrick Cote at welterweight in the co-main event of the UFC’s Ottawa debut on June 18.

Women’s bantamweight saw a sizeable shakeup for a different reason, as former No. 10-ranked Sarah Kaufman’s removal from the rankings due to her not having a contract caused Valentina Shevchenko, Raquel Pennington, Germaine de Randamie, Lauren Murphy, and Marion Reneau to move up a spot each, while Ashlee Evans-Smith debuted at No. 15 as a result.

Check out the full updated official rankings via the UFC’s website here:

POUND-FOR-POUND
1 Jon Jones
2 Demetrious Johnson
3 Luke Rockhold
4 Fabricio Werdum
5 Dominick Cruz
6 Rafael Dos Anjos
7 Robbie Lawler
8 Conor McGregor
9 Daniel Cormier
10 Jose Aldo
11 Chris Weidman
12 Frankie Edgar
13 TJ Dillashaw
14 Joanna Jedrzejczyk
15 Miesha Tate

FLYWEIGHT
Champion: Demetrious Johnson
1 Joseph Benavidez
2 Henry Cejudo
3 John Dodson
4 Jussier Formiga
5 Ian McCall
6 Kyoji Horiguchi
7 John Moraga
8 Zach Makovsky
9 Wilson Reis
10 Dustin Ortiz
11 Ali Bagautinov
12 Justin Scoggins
13 Louis Smolka
14 Ray Borg
15 Sergio Pettis

BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Dominick Cruz
1 TJ Dillashaw
2 Renan Barao +2
3 Urijah Faber -1
4 Raphael Assuncao -1
5 Aljamain Sterling -1
6 Michael McDonald
7 Thomas Almeida
8 Bryan Caraway
9 Takeya Mizugaki
10 Johnny Eduardo
11 Frankie Saenz +2
12 John Lineker
13 Jimmie Rivera -2
14 Eddie Wineland
15 Cody Garbrandt

FEATHERWEIGHT
Champion: Conor McGregor
1 Jose Aldo
2 Frankie Edgar
3 Chad Mendes
4 Max Holloway
5 Ricardo Lamas
6 Cub Swanson
7 Charles Oliveira
8 Dennis Bermudez
9 Jeremy Stephens
10 Hacran Dias
11 Darren Elkins
12 Brian Ortega
13 Tatsuya Kawajiri
14 Clay Guida +1
15 Mirsad Bektic *NR

LIGHTWEIGHT
Champion: Rafael Dos Anjos
1 Eddie Alvarez
2 Khabib Nurmagomedov
3 Anthony Pettis
4 Tony Ferguson
5 Nate Diaz
6 Donald Cerrone +3
7 Michael Johnson -1
7 Beneil Dariush
9 Edson Barboza -1
10 Dustin Poirier
11 Al Iaquinta
12 Bobby Green
13 Evan Dunham
14 Michael Chiesa
15 Rashid Magomedov

WELTERWEIGHT
Champion: Robbie Lawler
1 Rory MacDonald
2 Stephen Thompson
3 Tyron Woodley
4 Carlos Condit
5 Johny Hendricks
6 Demian Maia
7 Neil Magny
8 Matt Brown
9 Dong Hyun Kim
10 Tarec Saffiedine
11 Rick Story
12 Kelvin Gastelum
13 Albert Tumenov
14 Hector Lombard
15 Thiago Alves

MIDDLEWEIGHT
Champion: Luke Rockhold
1 Chris Weidman
2 Jacare Souza
3 Vitor Belfort
4 Michael Bisping
5 Lyoto Machida
6 Anderson Silva
7 Robert Whittaker
8 Gegard Mousasi
9 Tim Kennedy
10 Uriah Hall
11 Derek Brunson
12 Thales Leites
13 Rafael Natal
14 Dan Henderson
15 CB Dollaway

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Daniel Cormier
1 Jon Jones
2 Anthony Johnson
3 Alexander Gustafsson
4 Glover Teixeira
5 Ryan Bader
6 Ovince Saint Preux
7 Rashad Evans
8 Mauricio Rua
9 Jimi Manuwa
10 Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
11 Patrick Cummins
12 Corey Anderson
13 Ilir Latifi
14 Nikita Krylov
15 Gian Villante

HEAVYWEIGHT
Champion: Fabricio Werdum
1 Cain Velasquez
2 Stipe Miocic
3 Alistair Overeem
4 Junior Dos Santos +1
5 Andrei Arlovski +1
6 Ben Rothwell -2
7 Travis Browne
8 Mark Hunt
9 Josh Barnett
10 Roy Nelson +1
11 Frank Mir -1
12 Antonio Silva
13 Derrick Lewis *NR
14 Ruslan Magomedov -1
15 Alexey Oliynyk -1

WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT
Champion: Joanna Jedrzejczyk
1 Claudia Gadelha
2 Carla Esparza
3 Rose Namajunas
4 Tecia Torres
5 Jessica Penne
6 Valerie Letourneau
7 Paige VanZant
8 Maryna Moroz +1
9 Michelle Waterson -1
10 Karolina Kowalkiewicz
11 Joanne Calderwood
12 Randa Markos
13 Jessica Aguilar
14 Juliana Lima
15 Justine Kish

WOMEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT
Champion: Miesha Tate
1 Holly Holm
2 Ronda Rousey
3 Cat Zingano
4 Amanda Nunes
5 Julianna Pena
6 Sara McMann
7 Jessica Eye
8 Bethe Correia
9 Liz Carmouche
10 Valentina Shevchenko +1
11 Raquel Pennington +1
12 Germaine de Randamie +1
13 Lauren Murphy +1
14 Marion Reneau +1
15 Ashlee Evans-Smith *NR

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Top Five Junior Dos Santos UFC Moments

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos returned to action in Zagreb, Croatia at UFC Fight Night 86 last night, and there was a lot on the line. After suffering his first TKO loss from a standing exchange against Alistair Overeem in December 2015, ‘Cigano’ needed to pull out a big performance against Ben Rothwell.

The post Top Five Junior Dos Santos UFC Moments appeared first on LowKick MMA.

Former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos returned to action in Zagreb, Croatia at UFC Fight Night 86 last night, and there was a lot on the line. After suffering his first TKO loss from a standing exchange against Alistair Overeem in December 2015, ‘Cigano’ needed to pull out a big performance against Ben Rothwell. With the brutal decision and TKO losses to Cain Velasquez still fresh in memory, some fans were beginning to worry that JDS could be getting a little punch drunk if he continued to take such savage beatings.

Thankfully for the Brazilian boxer last night, he was the one doing most of the punching, and looked damn good doing it too. He dominated Rothwell over the entire five round main event spectacle, and was looking like the vintage Dos Santos we were used to seeing in the UFC octagon. Before we take a look at the Top Five Junior Dos Santos UFC Moments, hear what the likeable knockout artist told MMAFighting.com’s Luke Thomas about his future hopes in the heavyweight division:

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“It’s always good to go to the body especially when you’re fighting a huge guy like him. Like I was saying, you can’t collide with those guys. I used my footwork and throw some hard jabs and punches. It worked well. Thank God, I won.”

“I think I’m doing good now. It’s hard,” he said. “I know I have to improve in my skills. Not just my boxing skills, my wrestling, my jiu-jitsu, but I can’t go away from boxing. I have to know jiu-jitsu and wrestling, but I’m a boxing guy. I have to keep it there because I’m more confident. I’m feeling good. I think at this time now we are putting everything in the right place. That’s why I’m saying I’m going to be champion again. It’s not going to take too long.”

Great words from a humble former champ, and without further ado…

Top Five Junior Dos Santos UFC Moments

MMA: UFC 160-Dos Santos vs Hunt

5. Dos Santos KO’s Mark Hunt

At UFC 160, before facing Cain Velasquez for the third time, Junior Dos Santos took on fellow heavyweight knockout artist Mark Hunt. The two shared an intense three round war, before the final moments of the last round led to a classic knockout finish. Both men were exhausted from giving it their all, but somehow Dos Santos managed to KO the iron chinned ‘Super Samoan’ with a spinning head kick of all things.

The video of this brilliant finish:

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The post Top Five Junior Dos Santos UFC Moments appeared first on LowKick MMA.

UFC on Fox 13 Results: Full Fight Highlights from the Entire Main Card

Junior Dos Santos earned a questionable decision over Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fox 13. The fight main-evented one of the more “stacked” (please forgive the cliche) Fox cards in recent memory.

In addition to JDS vs Miocic, the card featured Rafael dos Anjos vs. Nate Diaz, Alistair Overeem vs. Stefan Struve, and Matt Mitrione vs. Gabe Gonzaga.

How did these matches play out? Check out the video highlight packages below and see for yourself after the jump.

Junior Dos Santos earned a questionable decision over Stipe Miocic at UFC on Fox 13. The fight main-evented one of the more “stacked” (please forgive the cliche) Fox cards in recent memory.

In addition to JDS vs Miocic, the card featured Rafael dos Anjos vs. Nate Diaz, Alistair Overeem vs. Stefan Struve, and Matt Mitrione vs. Gabe Gonzaga.

How did these matches play out? Check out the video highlight packages below and see for yourself.


In the opening bout, Matt Mitrione out-hustled a plodding Gabe Gonzaga, scoring an early TKO. Mitrione even did a bit of meta-gaming by backing off when Herb Dean moved closer to Gonzaga would think the fight was stopped. Once Gonzaga rose to his feet, defenseless, Mitrione pounced in and unloaded with even more punches. A shrewd move.

Alistair Overeem took on Stefan Struve in the next fight. The contest was as one-sided as people thought it would be, though it did feature more takedowns than anyone expected. Overeem dragged Struve to the mat, and proceeded to bash his head in Gregor Clegane style until “Big” John McCarthy stopped the fight.

Nate Diaz and Rafael Dos Anjos fought in the night’s co-main event. Diaz looked flat and uninterested. Meanwhile, Dos Anjos looked more fierce than the raptors in that Gatorade Fierce commercial from 1999. This proved to be a recipe for an extremely one-sided affair. Dos Anjos battered a hobbling Diaz with leg kicks. Dos Anjos likely could’ve finished Diaz with leg kicks but instead he opted for the tired MMA trope of taking your opponent down and smothering them when they’re in danger of being TKOd. Dos Anjos won a unanimous decision victory. Diaz blamed his loss (and failure to make weight for the fight) on an injury.

And, as we stated above, JDS and Stipe Miocic faced off in the main event. JDS didn’t look like himself. About 1,000 people on Twitter claimed Cain Velasquez had taken his soul, and while it’s a cliched expression, it looked pretty accurate last night. JDS ate lots of punches, wasn’t as accurate as he has been in the past, and was slower. The JDS of 2-3 years ago would’ve knocked out Stipe Miocic in a round. Today’s JDS couldn’t even finish him.

The entire fight card’s results are below:

Main Card

Junior Dos Santos def. Stipe Miocic via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46).
Rafael dos Anjos def. Nate Diaz via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27).
Alistair Overeem def. Stefan Struve via knockout (punches) (R1, 4:13).
Matt Mitrione def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO (punches) (R1, 1:59).

Preliminary Card

Joanna Jerdzejczyk def. Claudia Gadelha via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
John Moraga def. Willie Gates via submission (rear-naked choke) (R3, 4:06).
Ben Saunders def. Joe Riggs via submission (injury tapout) (1, 0:57).
Drew Dober def. Jamie Varner via submission (rear-naked choke) (R1, 1:52).
Bryan Barberena def. Joe Ellenberger via TKO (strikes) (R3, 3:24).
David Michaud def. Garret Whiteley via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27).
Henry Cejudo def. Dustin Kimura via unanimous decision (30-27 x3).
Ian Entwistle def. Anthony Birchak via submission (heel hook) (R1, 1:04).

Mirror, Mirror: Comparing UFC Fighters With Their Sports Star Counterparts


(Oh, you said you have a *flaggy* tattoo? I must have misheard you.) 

By Nathan Smith

During a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dana White said, “Globally, we’re already bigger than the NFL.” From a global stand point that may be true, but in the Pulp Fiction-esque United States, the NFL is still Marsellus Wallace. The UFC may never gain the notoriety that the NFL has in America but stand-out fighters continue to ink major product endorsement deals. Anderson Silva (Burger King, Budweiser), Georges St. Pierre (Gatorade, UnderArmor) and Jon Jones (Nike) are paving the way to success for future mixed martial artists. Although big-time corporate sponsorship for fighters is in its infancy, the other major professional sports leagues have seen their athletes gain almost as much notoriety outside the lines as within.

The UFC was purchased by Zuffa just over a decade ago and has been charging towards global domination ever since. Sure, the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL (well, maybe not the NHL) playoffs and championship contests annihilate the UFC ratings-wise but the premier MMA organization is gaining at a rapid pace. Take into account the combined several hundred years of history the 4 “major” professional leagues hold and it is glaringly apparent that the UFC and its stars are closing the gap like a fat dude towards a parked Roach Coach.

Comparing the UFC’s ratings and popularity with the aforementioned leagues is somewhat asinine and it would not be fair or rational to compare athletes from other sports with UFC fighters – but you have visited Cagepotato.com. We have never been accused of being fair or rational and matching fighters with their counterparts from around the world of other sporting organizations seemed as logical as a booze-filled headset.

Anderson Silva and Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan has become the benchmark to which all athletes are measured, although the comparisons have transcended far beyond the realm of athletics. Any activity or event draws comparisons to #23 (or #45 whatever). From Ken Jennings being the Michael Jordan of Jeopardy, to Joey Chestnut being the Michael Jordan of gluttony or Peter North being the Michael Jordan of male climax volume, Jordan is synonymous with superiority. In every single poll taken in the last decade regarding the “Top 100 NBA players in History” the battle is for #2 through #100. Michael Jordan is considered the greatest of all time in his medium (and I am not talking about minor league baseball).  Anderson Silva, with his perfect 15-0 record and 10 consecutive title defenses in the UFC, has done things that may never be accomplished again in the history of mixed martial arts. Some day a fighter may come along (if he hasn’t already *foreshadowing*) and surpass Silva’s records but until his numbers fall, Anderson Silva is the Michael Jordan of MMA – period.


(Oh, you said you have a *flaggy* tattoo? I must have misheard you.) 

By Nathan Smith

During a recent interview with the Wall Street Journal, Dana White said, “Globally, we’re already bigger than the NFL.” From a global stand point that may be true, but in the Pulp Fiction-esque United States, the NFL is still Marsellus Wallace. The UFC may never gain the notoriety that the NFL has in America but stand-out fighters continue to ink major product endorsement deals. Anderson Silva (Burger King, Budweiser), Georges St. Pierre (Gatorade, UnderArmor) and Jon Jones (Nike) are paving the way to success for future mixed martial artists. Although big-time corporate sponsorship for fighters is in its infancy, the other major professional sports leagues have seen their athletes gain almost as much notoriety outside the lines as within.

The UFC was purchased by Zuffa just over a decade ago and has been charging towards global domination ever since. Sure, the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL (well, maybe not the NHL) playoffs and championship contests annihilate the UFC ratings-wise but the premier MMA organization is gaining at a rapid pace. Take into account the combined several hundred years of history the 4 “major” professional leagues hold and it is glaringly apparent that the UFC and its stars are closing the gap like a fat dude towards a parked Roach Coach.

Comparing the UFC’s ratings and popularity with the aforementioned leagues is somewhat asinine and it would not be fair or rational to compare athletes from other sports with UFC fighters – but you have visited Cagepotato.com. We have never been accused of being fair or rational and matching fighters with their counterparts from around the world of other sporting organizations seemed as logical as a booze-filled headset.

Anderson Silva and Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan has become the benchmark to which all athletes are measured, although the comparisons have transcended far beyond the realm of athletics. Any activity or event draws comparisons to #23 (or #45 whatever). From Ken Jennings being the Michael Jordan of Jeopardy, to Joey Chestnut being the Michael Jordan of gluttony or Peter North being the Michael Jordan of male climax volume, Jordan is synonymous with superiority. In every single poll taken in the last decade regarding the “Top 100 NBA players in History” the battle is for #2 through #100. Michael Jordan is considered the greatest of all time in his medium (and I am not talking about minor league baseball).  Anderson Silva, with his perfect 15-0 record and 10 consecutive title defenses in the UFC, has done things that may never be accomplished again in the history of mixed martial arts. Some day a fighter may come along (if he hasn’t already *foreshadowing*) and surpass Silva’s records but until his numbers fall, Anderson Silva is the Michael Jordan of MMA – period.

Georges St. Pierre and Derek Jeter

GSP is the focal point of Canadian MMA. He is the big fish in a larger-less-populated pond and the entire weight of a nation rests on his shoulders every single time he enters the octagon. Derek Jeter plays in the biggest media market in the world and has been given the moniker “The Captain” for the most storied franchise in the history of team sports. There is a lot of pressure to perform for both world champions and they are viewed with a certain amount of reverence by fans, media, and contemporaries. Both men have graced the covers of athletic magazines as well as high fashion publications and in regards to their female fans, let’s just call them “popular.”

Jon Jones and Lebron James

It has been covered on CP that there is a thin line between love and hate in regards to Jon Jones and the same can be said for Lebron James after “The Decision.” Both men are loved and hated regardless of their stellar performances during competition. Both men are just entering the recognizable primes of their careers and have already captured championships. Add in the fact that both men are genetic freaks compared to their colleagues and it appears that the dominance of Bones and King James has only just begun. Maybe?

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Terrell Owens

Not that long ago, both Rampage and T.O. were at the top of their professions. Rampage was sporting the UFC light-heavyweight strap and T.O. was widely perceived as the best wide receiver in the NFL. Both men were flamboyant, arrogant and a bit unstable. While Rampage did it with his trash talking combined with a John Candy inspired freeway escapade, Owens did it with his touchdown celebrations and an accidental overdose.  Now, Jackson is on the last fight of his UFC contract and T.O. is desperately trying to make the roster on an NFL team. How the mighty have fallen.

In Case You Were Wondering, LMFAO’s Love Affair With The Reem is Still Going Strong


(A few months ago this woman would have gotten face-pushed.)

We’re not exactly sure why, but that terrible dance music-making duo made up of  Berry Gordy’s relatives, LMFAO, sure do seem to love Alistair Overeem. The former Strikeforce, K-1 and DREAM heavyweight champion made his second consecutive cameo in the group’s most recent music video for Sorry for Party Rockin’. Maybe Alistair will be the Captain Lou Albano to their Cindy Lauper.


(A few months ago this woman would have gotten face-pushed.)

We’re not exactly sure why, but that terrible dance music-making duo made up of  Berry Gordy’s relatives, LMFAO, sure do seem to love Alistair Overeem. The former Strikeforce, K-1 and DREAM heavyweight champion made his second consecutive cameo in the group’s most recent music video for Sorry for Party Rockin’. Maybe Alistair will be the Captain Lou Albano to their Cindy Lauper.

Anyway, if you can sit through this drivel to the end, “The Demolition Man” is in the video below for all of about 10 seconds.

I guess any publicity is better than no publicity, right? Still, I can’t help but wonder if they’re MMA fans or just fans of big muscular dudes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. We’re just seeing a pattern.

Props to reader MassNerder (who makes no secret of his LMFAO love) for the find. Here’s the interesting note he sent us last night.

Not sure if you saw it or not but The Reem is in the new LMFAO video. Love me some LMFAO…no hard feelings bitch!

Love,
MassNerder

What…Me Worry?

We have a sneaking suspicion that MassNerder is really Nick Diaz. Call it a hunch.

Gallery of the Day: MMA W.A.Gs


(Tom couldn’t handle constantly being asked if the guy he was with was the dude that f*cked Kimbo)

As fans and pundits of the sport, sometimes we forget that the fighters we love and hate to watch in the ring and cage are normal human beings like we are. They have bills to pay, mouths to feed and wives and girlfriends that *most* of them go home to every night.

We’ve been introduced to many of the W.A.Gs of fighters by UFC countdown shows, porno movies, arrest reports and through their own contributions to the sport as managers and fighters in their own right. Regardless of what they do, they support their men through the good and the bad and keep the home front running smoothly while their husbands and boyfriends are away for training camps or competing.

They don’t get a lot of mention by us media types, so we figured we would pay them tribute by posting a gallery of some of the lesser-known ladies behind the well-known fighters in the sport.


(Tom couldn’t handle constantly being asked if the guy he was with was the dude that f*cked Kimbo)

As fans and pundits of the sport, sometimes we forget that the fighters we love and hate to watch in the ring and cage are normal human beings like we are. They have bills to pay, mouths to feed and wives and girlfriends that *most* of them go home to every night.

We’ve been introduced to many of the W.A.Gs of fighters by UFC countdown shows, porno movies, arrest reports and through their own contributions to the sport as managers and fighters in their own right. Regardless of what they do, they support their men through the good and the bad and keep the home front running smoothly while their husbands and boyfriends are away for training camps or competing.

They don’t get a lot of mention by us media types, so we figured we would pay them tribute by posting a gallery of some of the lesser-known ladies behind the well-known fighters in the sport.