It’s tough work trying to get Jeremy Stephens amped up for a fistfight.
With 32 professional fights under his belt, Stephens accepts his upcoming UFC Fight Night 44 main event scrap against No. 4-ranked featherweight contender Cub Swanson wi…
It’s tough work trying to get Jeremy Stephens amped up for a fistfight.
With 32 professional fights under his belt, Stephens accepts his upcoming UFC Fight Night 44 main event scrap against No. 4-ranked featherweight contender Cub Swanson with a veteran’s composure and grace.
He’s not boisterous, and he’s not making outrageous comments or bragging about how he’s going to smash his foe in Round 1. He’s matured during his time as a professional, and the fight itself is just a formality, just part of the job.
“I don’t like to give arrogant statements anymore, and in the top 10 of UFC, it’s all about the mental state and making it happen,” Stephens told Bleacher Report. “I’ve been fighting since I was 16, fighting in the UFC since my 21st birthday. I just turned 28 and have 19 fights in the UFC, so I’ve adapted to everything.”
If Stephens ever had a reason to get nervous or giddy before a fight, though, now is the time.
According to the 28-year-old knockout artist, a shot at the UFC featherweight title will fall into his lap if he defeats Swanson June 28 in San Antonio, Texas. This represents an opportunity that Stephens has failed to capture throughout his lengthy UFC career, but his 20th fight with the promotion might just be a special one.
“Lining this fight up, we were told it’s a four-man tourney: Cub vs. myself and [Chad] Mendes vs. [champion Jose] Aldo, winners meet for a championship bout at the end of the year,” Stephens said. “I don’t really have anything to think or worry about other than putting all of my focus on this fight, then everything will fall in its place. The opportunity means the world and I’m not taking my dream for granted.”
If we go back just six fights in Stephens’ career, we find the beginning of a three-fight losing streak. Starting in October 2011, “Lil’ Heathen” dropped a fight to current lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, and he followed this defeat with back-to-back losses to Donald Cerrone and Yves Edwards, the latter of which occurred via knockout, the only such loss in Stephens’ career.
But then fate reversed itself, and Stephens dropped to featherweight and revved up his training at Alliance MMA in Chula Vista, California.
With a stable of UFC stars like Dominick Cruz, Phil Davis, Myles Jury and head coach Eric delFierro by his side, Stephens honed his technique and unleashed the best version of himself fans had ever seen in his 145-pound debut.
After defeating Estevan Payan at UFC 160 in May 2013 to kick off his career as a featherweight, Stephens rattled off back-to-back wins over Rony Jason and Darren Elkins to secure his title eliminator with Swanson.
This rebirth is the product of nothing more than hard work and a commitment to the sport and to training, according to Stephens.
“Between my coaches and team at Alliance MMA, Functional Patterns and Victory MMA, they’ve done more than I even know or could explain [laughs],” Stephens said. “My whole overall game is getting better, not just where I need to grow, but I’m getting better in areas I’m already good.”
These improvements did not come without struggle and hardship, though. Sparring with the superstars at Alliance MMA, Stephens sometimes comes out of the practice room beaten and battered. But it’s in these moments that he finds a lesson, somewhere to grow, somewhere to evolve as a fighter.
“Some days you show up and just get crushed, and other days you do the crushing,” Stephens said.
If June 28 turns out to be one of the latter days, “Lil’ Heathen” will secure his fourth straight victory as a featherweight and find himself eye to eye with a shiny golden belt.
(Stephens puts the stamp on TUF Brazil winner Ronny Jason, while Kenny Florian does his best Joe Silva impersonation in the background. Photo via Getty.)
Since making the cut to featherweight, however, “Lil Heathen” has been a man reborn (also, acquitted). With decision victories over Estevan Payan and Darren Elkins and a brutal KO over TUF Brazil winner Rony Jason (who did not take the loss well), Stephens has gone from a perennial gatekeeper to a fighter ranked just outside the top 10 on the UFC’s totally unbiased rankings system.
And now, Stephens will be given arguably the biggest fight of his career when he faces off against #4 ranked Cub Swanson in the main event of a Fight Night card scheduled for June 28th in San Antonio. The likelihood of the winner receiving a title shot? Kinda sorta maybe. The likelihood that this fight turns into a slugfest the likes of Lawler vs. Hendricks? Definitely maybe.
(Stephens puts the stamp on TUF Brazil winner Ronny Jason, while Kenny Florian does his best Joe Silva impersonation in the background. Photo via Getty.)
Since making the cut to featherweight, however, “Lil Heathen” has been a man reborn (also, acquitted). With decision victories over Estevan Payan and Darren Elkins and a brutal KO over TUF Brazil winner Rony Jason (who did not take the loss well), Stephens has gone from a perennial gatekeeper to a fighter ranked just outside the top 10 on the UFC’s totally unbiased rankings system.
And now, Stephens will be given arguably the biggest fight of his career when he faces off against #4 ranked Cub Swanson in the main event of a Fight Night card scheduled for June 28th in San Antonio. The likelihood of the winner receiving a title shot? Kinda sorta maybe. The likelihood that this fight turns into a slugfest the likes of Lawler vs. Hendricks? Definitely maybe.
Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens will fight in the main event at the June 28 UFC Fight Night event in San Antonio, Texas.
The UFC on Fox Twitter account announced the fight Wednesday afternoon, tweeting:
The two top-15 featherweights are pr…
Cub Swanson and Jeremy Stephens will fight in the main event at the June 28 UFC Fight Night event in San Antonio, Texas.
The UFC on Fox Twitter account announced the fight Wednesday afternoon, tweeting:
The two top-15 featherweights are primarily stand-up fighters, and each man possesses big-time knockout power, a fact which will please fans across the globe as the two throw down June 28.
Making the bout even better, both men have found their groove inside the Octagon of late.
Swanson has won five straight since January 2012, with four of those wins coming via knockout or technical knockout. His latest victory—a third-round TKO of Dennis Siver—showcased his entire arsenal, as he overcame early adversity to out-grapple and out-strike the German kickboxer late, snagging the crucial victory.
Stephens, on the other hand, has enjoyed a career resurgence since dropping to featherweight after a three-fight skid at lightweight.
Since being knocked out by Yves Edwards at UFC on Fox: Henderson vs. Diaz, Stephens made the cut to 145 pounds and rattled off three dominant victories, his latest a one-sided unanimous-decision victory over former top-10 featherweight Darren Elkins.
In that fight, Stephens successfully defended all nine of Elkins’ takedown attempts and scored one of his own. On top of that, Stephens out-struck Elkins every round, securing the clear-cut win.
Now, Stephens finds himself at No. 11 in the official UFC rankings. A win over Swanson will certainly catapult him into the top 10 and line up a big-time fight moving forward.
Swanson, though, will certainly be favored in this bout, as he has proven his worth as a top-10 145 pounder over the course of his latest winning streak. A win over Stephens may launch him into title contention; the same, I do not think, can be said for Stephens.
Who do you favor in the bout? Will Swanson take care of business, or will Stephens pull off the upset?
It’s starting to become a tradition to bring the UFC to Chicago in January, and this time it was particularly cold in the Windy City for UFC on FOX 10. While the preliminary fights provided a lot of excitement, the main card was dragged down by some dull moments. Nevertheless, there’s still quite a lot of stuff to talk about so join us for a final look back at the event with a Clint Eastwood-esque squinty-eyed glare.
The Good
• UFC on FOX Production. At this point, the production of the UFC on FOX series is crisp, well-paced, and truly hitting its stride. The broadcast-introduction they’ve been doing with Ving Rhames narrating the story of the main event fighters while suspenseful music plays in the background was intense, as always. (It kicks the ass of the nu-metal “Bring the Pain” intro from the UFC pay-per-views, at least). Hopefully they keep Marsellus Wallace around.
The Fox analyst crew also did a great job, adding even more professionalism to the proceedings. The enthusiastic Daniel Cormier sounded like a seasoned pro joking about gumbo and jambalaya next to old staples Brian Stann and Curt Menefee. The only drawback about the analysts was that they weren’t used enough. The more time they spend breaking down the fights and analyzing the fighters’ skill-sets, the better. In fact, I’d love to see the broadcast kick back to the desk in between every fight, which would help new fans get more familiar with the fighters and wrap their heads around what they just saw.
• Cowboy.Donald Cerrone‘s performance was one of the few highlights in an otherwise lackluster main card. Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg were doing their best to hype Adriano Martins as a worthy opponent, but despite the fact that Martins looked pretty good for a guy Cowboy had never heard of, Cerrone completely out-classed him. Cerrone was patient, picking his shots in the first round until he finally caught Martins with his hands down and landed a knockout shin kick to the head.
After the KO, Cerrone could have landed another shot to his unconscious opponent but to his credit he held back and didn’t follow up with an unnecessary punch. In fact, his calmness after the fight was chilling. The old adage in football when you score a touchdown is to act like you’ve been there before; that’s exactly what Cerrone did, looking like a stone-cold killer.
(Adriano Martins’s kick-face: Ugly, but fantastic. / Screen-shot via CP reader 5knuckleshuffle)
It’s starting to become a tradition to bring the UFC to Chicago in January, and this time it was particularly cold in the Windy City for UFC on FOX 10. While the preliminary fights provided a lot of excitement, the main card was dragged down by some dull moments. Nevertheless, there’s still quite a lot of stuff to talk about so join us for a final look back at the event with a Clint Eastwood-esque squinty-eyed glare.
The Good
• UFC on FOX Production. At this point, the production of the UFC on FOX series is crisp, well-paced, and truly hitting its stride. The broadcast-introduction they’ve been doing with Ving Rhames narrating the story of the main event fighters while suspenseful music plays in the background was intense, as always. (It kicks the ass of the nu-metal “Bring the Pain” intro from the UFC pay-per-views, at least). Hopefully they keep Marsellus Wallace around.
The Fox analyst crew also did a great job, adding even more professionalism to the proceedings. The enthusiastic Daniel Cormier sounded like a seasoned pro joking about gumbo and jambalaya next to old staples Brian Stann and Curt Menefee. The only drawback about the analysts was that they weren’t used enough. The more time they spend breaking down the fights and analyzing the fighters’ skill-sets, the better. In fact, I’d love to see the broadcast kick back to the desk in between every fight, which would help new fans get more familiar with the fighters and wrap their heads around what they just saw.
• Cowboy.Donald Cerrone‘s performance was one of the few highlights in an otherwise lackluster main card. Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg were doing their best to hype Adriano Martins as a worthy opponent, but despite the fact that Martins looked pretty good for a guy Cowboy had never heard of, Cerrone completely out-classed him. Cerrone was patient, picking his shots in the first round until he finally caught Martins with his hands down and landed a knockout shin kick to the head.
After the KO, Cerrone could have landed another shot to his unconscious opponent but to his credit he held back and didn’t follow up with an unnecessary punch. In fact, his calmness after the fight was chilling. The old adage in football when you score a touchdown is to act like you’ve been there before; that’s exactly what Cerrone did, looking like a stone-cold killer.
The performance earned Cowboy the Knockout of the Night bonus — his third such award in the UFC — and put Cerrone ahead of Anderson Silva and Joe Lauzon for the most amount of fight bonuses in Zuffa promotions: 13, when you count his WEC bumps. It was a clear highlight in a card that did not have a lot of them. Next up? Give Cowboy a top-five opponent and let’s see if he can work his way into title contention.
The Bad
• Missing Corner Commentary. In an earlier column, I criticized Fox for failing to provide a translation for Edson Barbosa’s corner in between rounds at UFC on Fox 9. The Fox crew blundered again this time around during Jeremy Stephens vs. Darren Elkins when they failed to provide audio for Stephens’s corner in between the first and second round. It’s a small quibble, but as somebody who really enjoys hearing the advice given by the corners during the fight, it was annoying. There’s absolutely no point in even showing the corners if we’re just going to look at the fighters and their trainers. In between rounds is one of the few times we get to hear actual strategy in the midst of the battle, and I wish we’d get to actually hear it.
• No title shot for Henderson. After a questionable split-decision win was announced for Benson Henderson, Dana White told the media that a title shot was not likely for Bendo. While I’m certainly not dying to see a third fight between Anthony Pettis and Ben Henderson, the UFC has developed a ranking system [Ed. note: LOL] and guess who the number one lightweight contender is? That’s right, it’s Mr. Smooth himself. Regardless, of whether you like his fighting style or not, Henderson is next in line.
Dana White has said many times that he wants the UFC to be like the NFL and other major league sports. Well let me ask you this: if the Denver Broncos had barely beaten the New England Patriots in a rather boring game do you think they would be prevented from competing in the Super Bowl because Roger Goodell didn’t think it was an impressive performance? Of course not. A win is a win and Bendo earned his title shot. If the UFC wants to match guys up completely subjectively than they should be a bit more honest about it and get rid of the ranking system. Otherwise the rankings are entirely illegitimate. Regardless, it’s clear that one of the biggest stories coming out of Saturday night’s fights is that the UFC has a Benson Henderson problem.
The Ugly
• Fox Robots. As mentioned above, the UFC on Fox was really tight and professional from a production standpoint. However, there was an element of production that was just horrible: those damn robots. They’re like something out of that horrible kids’ movie starting Hugh Jackman. The robots have become a staple of Fox Sports programming and as MMA fans we should be getting used to them. However, no matter how many times I see them, I just can’t get over how stupid they are. At UFC on Fox 10, they were out in full force, shadowboxing with the UFC ring girls. Thanks to Mike Goldberg, we learned that the boxing robot has a name: Beatus. Wow. Even company-man Joe Rogan couldn’t hold back his feelings on the robots, lamenting on-air that they should “throw that thing in the garbage.” And that’s one of the reasons people love Joe Rogan so much. He’s not afraid to call it like it is, whether it’s bad refereeing, horrible judging or stupid robots.
• Safety issue. With about 40 seconds left in his fight against Darren Elkins, Jeremy Stephens got his foot caught in the gap between the cage and the mat. Rogan and Goldberg were talking about how it appeared that Stephens hurt his leg, and my guess is he was hurt because he briefly caught his foot in the gap. This isn’t the first time fighters have slipped into the crack, and it’s something the UFC really needs to address. If they don’t, somebody’s going to break an ankle, twist their knee, or otherwise get seriously hurt.
Handling our liveblog of the UFC on FOX 10 main card broadcast is Aaron Mandel, who will be tossing round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and be sure to tell us how you feelin’ in the comments section. Thanks for coming.
Handling our liveblog of the UFC on FOX 10 main card broadcast is Aaron Mandel, who will be tossing round-by-round results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and be sure to tell us how you feelin’ in the comments section. Thanks for coming.
Preliminary Card Results
– Alex Caceres def. Sergio Pettis via submission, 4:39 of round 3 (rear-naked choke)
– Eddie Wineland def. Yves Jabouin via TKO, 4:16 of round 2
– Chico Camus def. Yaotzin Meza via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
– Hugo Viana def. Ramiro Hernandez via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Daron Cruickshank def. Mike Rio via TKO, 4:56 of round 2
– George Sullivan def. Mike Rhodes via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Nikita Krylov def. Walt Harris via TKO, 0:25 of round 1
Alright PotatoHeads, it’s time for the main card, refresh early and often for round by round commentary and results, and if you were lucky enough to hear it on the prelims, perhaps Joe Rogan will repeat his hilarious critiques of the FOX robot.
Jeremy Stephens vs. Darren Elkins
Round 1- Low kick lands from Stephens. Body kick from Stephens. Shot by Elkins easily stuffed, which does not bode well for the wrestler. Uppercut lands from Stephens. Low kick from Stephens. Two huge punches miss from Stephens. Takedown from Elkins misses badly. Elkins slips and Stephens lands on top and hits an elbow as he works to half guard. Stephens stands up to put it back to striking. Good right-left from Stephens. Single from Elkins and Stephens fights it off by jumping three feet in the air trying to knee him while Elkins holds him aloft. They push against the cage and Stephens is able to fight Elkins off and separate back to striking range. Uppercut and a left from Stephens. Left from Elkins grazes Stephens who just took a deep breath. Huge punches from Stephens but not landing clean and he is putting everything behind them. Right lands for Stephens as does a knee. Good body kick by Stephens. Elkins comes forward with two strikes but they don’t land and the round ends, all Stephens. 10-9 Stephens.
Round 2- Elkins lands a right but Stephens cracks him right back and Elkins seems a little wobbled. Left high kick grazes Elkins. Takedown easily stuffed by Stephens. Right lands from Stephens. A left tags Stephens and Elkins shoots for a takedown against the cage, Stephens fighting it off. Stephens separates and starts winging punches again. Low kick by Stephens as Elkins shoots and it looked painful, although MMA in general looks painful to a wimp like me. Front kick partially lands by Elkins and he follows it with a left. Right kick by Elkins and Stephens cracks a right uppercut. Elkins shoots for a single leg takedown, stuffed again by Stephens. Head kick by Elkins partially blocked. Body kick by Elkins. Body kick by Stephens now. Left hand lands from Stephens and Elkins is cut under his right eye. 10-9 Stephens.
Round 3- Stephens is in control here, let’s see if he coasts or looks to finish. Low kick by Stephens. Body kick by Elkins is caught by Stephens who takes him down but lands in a guillotine. Stephens works out of the guillotine but it was close and Elkins rolls for the guillotine again, has it for a moment but Stephens rolls out and smartly stands up. Kick from Stephens caught and Elkins tries to take him down but Stephens throws him off. Right to the body, left to the head by Stephens. Another takedown stuffed by Stephens and his sprawl and brawl is really working. Headkicks miss by both fighters. Left hook lands from Stephens. Elkins may have clipped Stephens, he ran back and seemed tentative, Elkins charges in swinging and Stephens takes Elkins down, Elkins immediately goes for another guillotine and it is tight but the horn sounds and we are done, wow that was almost a last second hail mary but should be a comfortable decision for Stephens.
Jeremy Stephens defeats Darren Elkins by unanimous decison (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Donald Cerrone vs. Adriano Martins
Martins is sponsored by a sushi delivery company and an oil company, this guy has nothing to lose!
Round 1- Body kick by Martins and it may have hurt Cerrone ala his Pettis fight. Cerrone recovering and throwing kicks of his own. Good leg kick by Cerrone. Head kick misses by Cerrone who follows with a front kick and leg kick. Martins landing some shots in a good exchange. Another leg kick by Cerrone whose corner is urging him not to wait. Martins lands a good shot and Cerrone shoots for a takedown, goes right into full mount but Martins bounces back to the feet all in about 15 seconds. Body kick by Cerrone. Right jab lands for Cerrone along with another body kick. Right head kick lands on the button from Cerrone and Martins falls forward and is out. Good sportsmanship from Cerrone who avoids any unnecessary strikes.
Cerrone was looking rather pedestrian until the kick, but BOOM, that was all it took. It was well set up with the steady diet of body kicks and this could be KOTN and yet another bonus for Cerrone.
Donald Cerrone defeats Adriano Martins via KO, 4:40 round 1
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Stipe Miocic
This should be an interesting style matchup, Gonzaga is clearly more accomplished on the ground but can tend to fall in love with his striking, where Miocic has had his success. The winner of this will jump near the top 5 at heavyweight.
Round 1- Leg kick by Gonzaga thuds into Miocic to start and Miocic sends one of his own back. Right hand lands for Gonzaga but Miocic takes it and fires back. Another leg kick from each fighter and they are hard ones. Left jab by Gonzaga. Overhand right by Gonzaga and another low kick. Overhand right again by Gonzaga but Miocic is blocking and absorbing and firing back. Miocic slips on a kick and Gonzaga closes the distance and tries for a takedown but Miocic spins away. Big right hands lands from Gonzaga but Miocic seems fine. Gonzaga catches a Miocic leg kick and fires a few clean punches back. Gonzaga shoots a double leg and brings Miocic down but Miocic pops back up. Gonzaga breathing heavily now after that mostly failed takedown and it could be a factor as Miocic looks fresh despite eating lots of kicks and punches. 10-9 Gonzaga.
Round 2- Leg kick to start by Gonzaga. Stiff jab by Miocic and an inside leg kick. Gonzaga looks for a takedown but Miocic sprawls and defends, blocking a Gonzaga high kick on the way out. Left hook by Gonzaga and pawing jabs and a straight by Miocic. Gonzaga appears to be fading a bit with three minutes left. Miocic is picking his volume up. Gonzaga has thrown nothing in the last minute. Left head kick from Gonzaga blocked and he sends one low before going back into a largely defensive shell. Gonzaga falls forward for a takedown but it isn’t pretty and Miocic sprawls out with ease. Miocic has been teeing off for the last three minutes, Gonzaga blocked most of it but he just stopped throwing early in the round, this could get ugly in the third round. 10-9 Miocic.
Round 3- Leg kick from Gonzaga and a punch, he needs to finish in the early going here because he looks faded. Miocic working a high rate of punches but nothing landing clean. Leg kick by Miocic. Gonzaga shoots for a takedown which fails. Gonzaga tries some kicks and punches but nothing lands, Miocic keeping up a good work rate. Gonzaga slips and falls back to guard. Miocic stands over him landing punches. Gonzaga gets up but slips again and lays back in guard with Miocic standing over him. Gonzaga seems content to lay down and rest which is also my plan tonight. Miocic finally dives in with hammer fists sitting up in half guard. Gonzaga ties up from the bottom but he’s gassed. Miocic postures up and lands some big strikes. Gonzaga gets up with twenty seconds left and throws a few desperate strikes as the round ends. The Gonzaga from round 1 and round 3 don’t even seem like the same person, fatigue is a powerful beast. 10-9 Miocic.
Stipe Miocic defeats Gabriel Gonzaga via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)
And as predicted at the beginning, Joe Rogan clowns on the FOX robot, “they should throw that thing in the garbage.”
Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson
They check Henderson for a toothpick at the prep point and it’s main event time! Winner of this may get a title shot and settle all of those WEC/Strikeforce debates that no one had, ever.
Round 1- Something tells me I might be furiously touch typing for 5 rounds here…and we’re set, touch of the gloves and high kick from Henderson to open but it’s blocked. Punches from Henderson as he flurries in on Thomson who ties up Henderson and throws him to the ground! Thomson takes Henderson’s back with a body triangle locked in. Henderson turtles up and Thomson flattens him out. Henderson rolls and Thomson still has his back but is pressed against the fence. Thomson wrenches the shoulder joint looking for an armbar or a choke. Henderson staying calm but not in a good place. Henderson stands up with Thomson still attached to his back. Henderson leans against the fence giving Thomson a free ride on his back. Henderson maneuvers out out into a clinch with over/under. Henderson puts Thomson against the cage in the clinch but Thomson reverses. Henderson works knees and then takes Thomson down. Thomson stands back up but Henderson applies a standing arm triangle! Henderson cranks it and then falls to his back with the arm triangle locked in. Thomson frees himself, stands back up and then picks up Henderson and slams him down as the round ends. Wild round, great grappling! 10-9 Thomson.
Round 2- Body punch from Henderson to start and then another. Stepping knee lands to the body for Henderson, Thomson catches the leg and tries to work a takedown but cannot. Henderson clinches again and looks for the standing arm triangle but it’s not there. They clinch along the fence trading knees and kicks. Big John McCarthy splits them up and Henderson comes in with a knee, they clinch and Thomson picks him up and slams Henderson down, takes his back again and puts on the body triangle! Henderson stands up with Thomson on his back, Thomson releases his hold and they separate. Running body punch from Henderson. Thomson seems content to wait for Henderson to come in and then try to grapple. The action heats up with an exchange and Henderson runs in with another body punch and kick to the left side of Thomson’s body. Thomson catches the kick and tries for a takedown but Henderson shows great balance and stays up. Close round, 10-9 Henderson?
Round 3- Henderson comes out flying with a superman punch and strikes and drives Thomson to the mat. Henderson on top in full guard but Thomson works back to the feet. Henderson takes Thomson’s back standing and Rogan thinks Thomson broke his right hand last round which might explain his lack of striking engagement. They separate back to the feet and Henderson works another strong right hook to the body, he’s thrown a lot of those and they appear to be landing effectively. They clinch along the cage and then spin out to the middle of the cage. Thomson throws a right elbow. Henderson with a body kick that Thomson tries to catch but can’t. Thomson goes for a takedown but cannot complete it and they clinch along the cage. Henderson cracks Thomson with an elbow. Good knee from Henderson, Thomson tries for a takedown but can’t get it. Thomson slips on a kick and Henderson lands on top in side control. North-south for Henderson and Josh spins out, grimacing noticeably as he pushes off the ground with his presumably broken hand. Thomson throws a cartwheel kick that misses and he is slowing down, maybe due to the hand. 10-9 Henderson.
Round 4- Powerful body kick by Henderson which Thomson catches. Another kick from Henderson. Low kick from Henderson. Thomson closes the distance and hits a trip takedown on Henderson, on top in half guard. Henderson uses rubber guard from the bottom and works strikes from the bottom as well as elbowing the shoulder of Thomson who is stuck. Thomson pulls his head out, briefly stands, dives back in with punches and rolls for top control. Henderson powers up and hits a takedown and elbows of his own. Henderson on top with Thomson against the cage. Thomson climbs to his feet as Henderson knees his thighs. Henderson front kicking Thomson’s calves against the cage, weird! They separate and Thomson clinches and gets another takedown and the body triangle. Never seen Henderson taken down this much. Henderson stands again, fixes his hair, and oh yea Thomson is still attached to his back. Thomson hypes the crowd from Henderson’s back and then falls back down to the mat, wild! 10-9 Henderson.
Round 5- By my very amateur scorecard it’s 3-1 in rounds for Henderson going into the 5th, Ariel Helwani has it exact opposite, 3-1 Thomson. Henderson misses with a right hook and lands one to the body. Another huge knee to the body for Henderson. Leg kick from Henderson. Thomson cracks Henderson with his right hand! Leg kick by Thomson drops Henderson but he pops right up. Three high kicks in a row from Henderson followed by a low kick and you know it’s hurting Thomson to block these. Rogan thinks Thomson is down and needs to go for broke, thanks for having my back! Josh catches Hendo’s kick and throws him violently to the ground, takes his back but Henderson stands. Thomson on Henderson’s back against the cage. Josh desperately trying to spin Henderson to the ground as they clinch with one minute left. Clinch grappling all the way here. They split with 20 seconds left and the horn sounds. 10-9 Henderson. I think it will be 49-46 Henderson but shit, who knows? The closest the fight came to being finished was in round 1 by Thomson but there were never any real fight changing moments, just a solid back and forth war.
(You’ll never go wrong betting on a guy who looks like a stunt-double for a low-budget Jamaican remake of ‘Indiana Jones.’ / Photo via MMAFighting.com)
Like many experts in our field do, we’re going to break down these UFC on FOX 10 main card fights in whichever way we damn please, spitting out our rapid-fire predictions by leaning heavily on pre-determined notions and gut feelings. Read on, and be sure to visit our “Henderson vs. Thomson” liveblog, which kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson
The biggest fight on this card could be the most entertaining as well — unless Benson Henderson decides to do the right thing and use his superior grappling skills to make this an ugly, dominant fight. But Thomson isn’t too shabby himself when it comes to laying and praying himself; his win over K.J. Noons before getting a title shot in Strikeforce was a prime example of what can happen when one partner is just not in the mood to cuddle.
So, maybe it’s going to come down to striking, and unless Thomson lands a game-changing head-kick like he did against Diaz, Bendo should prove to be the quicker striker who throws more when it comes to volume. Anthony Pettis will surely be watching with a close eye, because if Thomson outlasts Henderson, they have a date. And if Henderson wins and T.J. Grant is still concussed, he’s got his own third date against Pettis. And you know what they say about third dates…
Winner: Benson Henderson
Method: Unanimous Decision (5 Rounds)
(You’ll never go wrong betting on a guy who looks like a stunt-double for a low-budget Jamaican remake of ‘Indiana Jones.’ / Photo via MMAFighting.com)
Like many experts in our field do, we’re going to break down these UFC on FOX 10 main card fights in whichever way we damn please, spitting out our rapid-fire predictions by leaning heavily on pre-determined notions and gut feelings. Read on, and be sure to visit our “Henderson vs. Thomson” liveblog, which kicks off tonight at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Benson Henderson vs. Josh Thomson
The biggest fight on this card could be the most entertaining as well — unless Benson Henderson decides to do the right thing and use his superior grappling skills to make this an ugly, dominant fight. But Thomson isn’t too shabby himself when it comes to laying and praying himself; his win over K.J. Noons before getting a title shot in Strikeforce was a prime example of what can happen when one partner is just not in the mood to cuddle.
So, maybe it’s going to come down to striking, and unless Thomson lands a game-changing head-kick like he did against Diaz, Bendo should prove to be the quicker striker who throws more when it comes to volume. Anthony Pettis will surely be watching with a close eye, because if Thomson outlasts Henderson, they have a date. And if Henderson wins and T.J. Grant is still concussed, he’s got his own third date against Pettis. And you know what they say about third dates…
Winner: Benson Henderson
Method: Unanimous Decision (5 Rounds)
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Stipe Miocic
Truth be told, we’re sort of in disbelief that the same guy who was shoveled out of the Octagon by Randy Couture in 2007 could be up for championship consideration in the year 2014. On the other hand, we also don’t think that Stipe Miocic is quite ready to stand out in the heavyweight title picture at the moment.
This one’s a tough draw. On one hand, you’ve got this savage Brazilian caveman ready to eat the camera before getting into his opponent’s face, against a too-quick-for-his-size potential freak athlete heavyweight with better movement.
Gonzaga does have the ability to end a fight with one shot, and he’s been looking good doing it. (The guys he’s been beating lately haven’t been total cans, either.) We might as well put our cash on the comeback kid…or in this case, the fighter that would most resemble a Street Fighter character with a perm.
Martins did make Daron Cruickshank look like an AXS TV Fights Preliminary Card curtain-jerker in his last fight, and he’s undefeated in six. Still, if Cerrone channels his inner Millennium-circa Jerome Le Banner properly, the jiu-jitsu specialist is probably toast.
Oh, yes…these types of fights. Whenever we get a grappler vs. striker clash of styles, things end up turning out one way or the other — grappler takes down striker, drubbing him on the mat for 15 minutes, or striker is somehow puzzled as to why wrestler thinks he can stand with him, hence the brutal knockout finish for the former. And that’s how much this match deserves in terms of our thought-provoking analysis.
But since we have to pick one side or the other (and since we clearly have a soft-spot for the old-schoolers), we’ll predict that grizzled vet Stephens will continue his unlikely rebirth at featherweight streak, and put Elkins down for a nice nap.
Winner: Jeremy Stephens
Method: KO/TKO (Round 1)
See any of these fights differently? Shoot us your own predictions in the comments section. Just remember, you’re not allowed to think before making your picks. It’s the CagePotato way.
It’s tough work trying to get Jeremy Stephens amped up for a fistfight. 
