It wasn’t the most entertaining fight, but Shane Roller is walking away from UFC 148 with his second UFC victory—a much needed win given that he was coming off three straight losses.John Alessio was a game opponent and dangerous on his feet, but …
It wasn’t the most entertaining fight, but Shane Roller is walking away from UFC 148 with his second UFC victory—a much needed win given that he was coming off three straight losses.
John Alessio was a game opponent and dangerous on his feet, but Roller was able to use his superior grappling to bring the fight to the ground and control the fight in the second and third rounds.
All three judges scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Roller.
What we’ll remember about this fight
Tough to say because it wasn’t too entertaining.
Possibly Alessio yelling out, “Do you wanna fight me or do you wanna ride me?” when Roller had his back in the third round. It’s not unusual for a fighter to be frustrated by being repeatedly taken down, but it’s rare that someone is so vocal about it.
Also, Alessio staggered Roller at the beginning of the third round. For a moment, it looked like he might steal a come-from-behind victory.
What we learned about Shane Roller
Nothing really. We knew he had decent striking and a solid wrestling base and that’s what he showed in this fight.
We did learn that Roller deserves to be a part of the UFC roster, which was questionable prior to this victory.
What we learned about John Alessio
He probably won’t survive in the UFC’s lightweight division. Alessio’s takedown defense is lacking and 155 lbs is filled with elite wrestlers.
His striking looked good, but not good enough to make up for what his grappling game is missing.
What’s next for Shane Roller
Sam Stout would make sense. Stout can test Roller’s striking, and given that Stout has been working hard on his wrestling Roller would be a good opponent to see how good Stout’s grappling has become.
What’s next for John Alessio
The UFC will likely keep Alessio around for another fight. He’s an entertaining guy and comes to fight.
Al Iaquinta seems a logical choice. Both men like to strike and are 0-1 in the UFC.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian.Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
Word has it that lightweight scrappers Sam Stout and Spencer Fisher will meet for a third time at UFC on FX 4 this June, in a fight that will be an early front runner for “Fight of the Night” to say the least. Both Fisher and Stout are coming off losses to Thiago Tavares, so it seems a good a time as any to have these two square off once again, because MMA fans eat up rematches like fried Kool-aid nowadays.
Fisher and Stout last met way back at UFN 10 in June of 2007, where Fisher was able to erase the memory of his split decision, “Fight of the Year” earning loss to Stout at UFC 58 by walking away with a close but unanimous decision victory. As of late, however, Fisher has descended further down the lightweight ladder with each performance, to the point that he could be fighting for his job come June 22nd. He has dropped 4 of his last 5, with the lone win coming by way of UD over UFC washout Curt “The War” Warburton at UFC 120. Yes, you read that correctly; Curt Warburton’s nickname is “The War.” What a crafty SOB.
Stout has seen quite a bit more success recently, scoring wins in 4 of his last 6, including a first round starching of Yves Edwards at UFC 131 last year. After his long time trainer and close friend Shawn Tompkins suddenly passed away, however, Stout pulled out of his bout with Dennis Siver to do some “soul searching” along with fellow Team Tompkins members Chris Horodecki and Mark Hominick. Upon returning to the octagon, the aftereffects of such a tragic loss were still noticeable, as both Stout and Hominick suffered defeats to Tavares and Chan Sung Jung, respectively.
In other fight booking news…
(Wait…it’s already been FIVE YEARS since these two last fought?!!)
Word has it that lightweight scrappers Sam Stout and Spencer Fisher will meet for a third time at UFC on FX 4 this June, in a fight that will be an early front runner for “Fight of the Night” to say the least. Both Fisher and Stout are coming off losses to Thiago Tavares, so it seems a good a time as any to have these two square off once again, because MMA fans eat up rematches like fried Kool-aid nowadays.
Fisher and Stout last met way back at UFN 10 in June of 2007, where Fisher was able to erase the memory of his split decision, “Fight of the Year” earning loss to Stout at UFC 58 by walking away with a close but unanimous decision victory. As of late, however, Fisher has descended further down the lightweight ladder with each performance, to the point that he could be fighting for his job come June 22nd. He has dropped 4 of his last 5, with the lone win coming by way of UD over UFC washout Curt “The War” Warburton at UFC 120. Yes, you read that correctly; Curt Warburton’s nickname is “The War.” What a crafty SOB.
Stout has seen quite a bit more success recently, scoring wins in 4 of his last 6, including a first round starching of Yves Edwards at UFC 131 last year. After his long time trainer and close friend Shawn Tompkins suddenly passed away, however, Stout pulled out of his bout with Dennis Siver to do some “soul searching” along with fellow Team Tompkins members Chris Horodecki and Mark Hominick. Upon returning to the octagon, the aftereffects of such a tragic loss were still noticeable, as both Stout and Hominick suffered defeats to Tavares and Chan Sung Jung, respectively.
In other fight booking news, it has been reported by Marc Bocek himself that his original UFC 145 opponent, TUF 5 alum Matt Wiman, has blown out his knee in training and has been forced to withdraw from their match. Replacing him will be none other than UFC, WEC, KOTC, and damn near every other promotion veteran John Alessio, who will be making his return to the UFC following a six year absence. In the past three years, the 35 year old journeyman has put together a hell of a run, notching eleven victories, including wins over UFC veterans Luigi Fioravanti (via KO) and War Machine (via submission), alongside just two defeats.
Canadian grappling savant Marc Bocek has gone win-loss in his last five UFC bouts, with one of those losses coming to current lightweight champ Ben Henderson and the other to top contender Jim Miller. We last saw Bocek score a unanimous decision victory over Nik Lentz at UFC 140 in which Lentz tried to submit Bocek with a guillotine no less than 375 times.
UFC 145 is set to transpire on April 21st from the Phillips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.
While we’re on the subject of last minute injuries, it appears that Jorgen Kruth, who was expected to make his UFC debut against Cyrille Diabate at UFC on FUEL 2, has been forced to pull out of the contest and has been replaced by fellow newcomer Tom DeBlass. A student of Ricardo Almeida and currently undefeated as a professional, DeBlass is accepting the fight on just over a week’s notice against a dangerous, albeit struggling, striker in Diabate. “Snake” has not competed since getting strangled by Anthony Perosh at UFC 138, and currently sits at 2-2 in the UFC. Being that submissions have always been Diabate’s Achilles heel, he might want to utilize the huge reach advantage he will have against a much shorter BJJ blackbelt in DeBlass.
UFC on FUEL 2 goes down from the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden on April 14th.
Bahadurzada last competed in Russia back in May, where he capped off a devastating run through the United Glory 2010 World Series with a second round TKO over Tommy Depret to take home the gold. Well, it was more then likely coal, but you get what I’m saying. Anyway, Bahadurzada hasn’t tasted defeat since two-time UFC washout Jorge Santiago heel hooked him back at a 2008 Sengoku event.
As a bonus, I’ve included Siyar’s quarterfinal match against Derrick Noble and his championship-earning victory over Depret after the jump.
(Bahadurzada v. Alessio, United Glory 2010 World Semifinals)
Bahadurzada last competed in Russia back in May, where he capped off a devastating run through the United Glory 2010 World Series with a second round TKO over Tommy Depret to take home the gold. Well, it was more then likely coal, but you get what I’m saying. Anyway, Bahadurzada hasn’t tasted defeat since two-time UFC washout Jorge Santiago heel hooked him back at a 2008 Sengoku event.
Check out Siyar’s ass whoopings of Derrick Noble and Tommy Depret below.
Siyar vs. Noble
Siyar vs. Depret
So what say you, Potato Nation, who takes this one?
Josh Grispi earned the next shot at WEC featherweight champ Jose Aldo with his win over LC Davis at this show held in Edmonton, Alberta. Because of an injury, Aldo had to pull out of their planned UFC 125 bout. Rather than wait for his shot, Grispi took a fight with Dustin Poirier on the January card and lost via unanimous decision. As a result, another fighter who impressed on the UFC 49 card earned the next shot at Aldo.
Mark Hominick was en route to a unanimous decision loss to fellow Canadian Yves Jabouin in Edmonton, but pulled out one of the most impressive come from behind wins in WEC history.
Stunned and dropped by a stiff right hand, Hominick weathered the ensuing ground and pound onslaught, swept Jabouin and forced a TKO stoppage via punishment from the mount.
A quick first round TKO win over teammate George Roop in his next bout earned him a shot at Aldo at UFC 129 this past April. Although he couldn’t finish the Aldo, Hominick showed the heart of a champion by fighting through a massive, disgusting hematoma to give Aldo the fight of his life and finishing the last round in dominating fashion.
(Time sure does fly…)
WEC 49 went down 1 year ago.
Why it matters:
Josh Grispi earned the next shot at WEC featherweight champ Jose Aldo with his win over LC Davis at this show held in Edmonton, Alberta. Because of an injury, Aldo had to pull out of their planned UFC 125 bout. Rather than wait for his shot, Grispi took a fight with Dustin Poirier on the January card and lost via unanimous decision. As a result, another fighter who impressed on the UFC 49 card earned the next shot at Aldo.
Mark Hominick was en route to a unanimous decision loss to fellow Canadian Yves Jabouin in Edmonton, but pulled out one of the most impressive come from behind wins in WEC history.
Stunned and dropped by a stiff right hand, Hominick weathered the ensuing ground and pound onslaught, swept Jabouin and forced a TKO stoppage via punishment from the mount.
A quick first round TKO win over teammate George Roop in his next bout earned him a shot at Aldo at UFC 129 this past April. Although he couldn’t finish the Aldo, Hominick showed the heart of a champion by fighting through a massive, disgusting hematoma to give Aldo the fight of his life and finishing the last round in dominating fashion.
Banner Promotions: Night of Combat went down 3 years ago.
Why it matters:
Although the show that took place at the Thomas & Mack Center, in Las Vegas, NV wasn’t a particularly good one, besides the main event bout that saw John Alessio beat Pete Spratt by second-round rear naked choke in spite of a broken arm, one bout received much media attention, perhaps for all the wrong reasons.
Kim Couture made her MMA debut on the card against Kim Rose. Like her Xtreme Couture teammate, Alessio, Couture fought through the pain of a grisly broken bone and continued to fight. Unlike Alessio, she came up short, losing to Rose by unanimous decision after sustaining a broken jaw in the first round.
One year later, Kim tapped out on her marriage to Randy Couture, but kept “Captain America’s” last name. She has continued to fight, compiling an un-Couture-like 3-4 record.
Jackson disproved the conventional theory that to be successful in MMA today, a fighter needs to be well rounded. Rampage’s style is known as sprawl and brawl and predominantly focuses on the Memphis, Tennessee native knocking fool’s brains around in their skulls. Although he has a wrestling pedigree and a trio of submission victories under his belt, Jackson, who has stated on more than one occasion that he hates when a fight turns into a “boring jiu-jitsu” match, prefers to stand and bang, and if he gets the chance he may slam you on your head for good measure.
He held the UFC light heavyweight title for 406 days, which is the fourth longest title run for a holder of the strap.Tito Ortiz (1,260 days), Chuck Liddell (770 days) and Frank Shamrock (703 days) were the only fighters to hold it longer. Only Jackson and Lyoto Machida have successfully defended the title since Jackson won it from Chuck Liddell in 2007. Since then, it has changed hands five times.
With wins over Dan Henderson, Ricardo Arona, Chuck Liddell, Kevin Randleman, Murilo Bustamante and Matt Lindland, Jackson has been a perennial top ten for several years. Recent wins over Lyoto Machida (split decision) and Matt Hammil (unanimous decision) have somehow allowed him to leapfrog Rashad Evans to a shot at Jon Jones at UFC 135 in September.
Roy “Big Country” Nelson was born 35 years ago.
Why he matters:
In addition to winning The Ultimate Fighter 10, “Big Country” is also the former IFL heavyweight champion. He has beaten prospects Stefan Struve, Brendan Schaub, but is perhaps better known for his highlight-reel loss against Andrei Arlovski and his ballsy decision losses to Ben Rothwell, Junior dos Santos and Frank Mir.
(Video courtesy of YouTube/EpicKiler187)
Although he may never wear UFC gold, Nelson is a good litmus test (read: gatekeeper) for any contender who is being considered a viable contender.
(…so I can’t accept the fight right now…Hello?….Dana…Are you there?)
Ever since John Alessio was cut lose by the WEC following a DQ loss to Brock Larson at WEC 33 in 2008, the Vancouver, BC native has been vocal about his desire to get back t…
(…so I can’t accept the fight right now…Hello?….Dana…Are you there?)
Ever since John Alessio was cut lose by the WEC following a DQ loss to Brock Larson at WEC 33 in 2008, the Vancouver, BC native has been vocal about his desire to get back to fighting for the promotion. Part of the 31-year-old fighter’s motivation was the fact that, besides the loss to Larson, he had only technically lost to the promotion’s champion Carlos Condit in the WEC. He wanted the opportunity to avenge the loss and also because he had won three in a row prior to his final bout and didn’t think his firing was justified.
When the WEC dropped its welterweight class in 2009, Alessio turned his sights on the organization’s big brother promotion, the UFC, where he first fought in 2006.
Racking up an impressive 8-2 (all finishes) record and current six-fight winning streak since being dropped by the WEC, Alessio (30-13) revealed today that he finally got his wish, but had to turn down the offer by the UFC to fight on the upcoming Montreal card in December due to contractual obligations to the Dutch-based United Glory promotion. "The Natural" earned a berth in the second round of the Golden Glory-owned organization’s $150,000 welterweight tournament which will take place on January 30 by submitting Sergey Golyaev October 16 in Amsterdam. He will face Golden Glory standout Siyar Bahadurzada in round two of the competition.
Filed under: FightingIt’s not quite the Shinya Aoki-Paul Daley-Marius Zaromskis lineup initially falsely marketed with, but this Saturday’s United Glory event in Amsterdam will still feature a number of notables, including Strikeforce competitors and S…
It’s not quite the Shinya Aoki-Paul Daley-Marius Zaromskis lineup initially falsely marketed with, but this Saturday’s United Glory event in Amsterdam will still feature a number of notables, including Strikeforce competitors and Shooto champs.
The highlight will be the quarterfinals of an eight-man welterweight tournament featuring Derrick Noble, Siyar Bahadurzada, Sergey Golyaev, John Alessio, Roan “Jucao” Carneiro, Luis Ramos, Tommy Depret and David Bielkheden.
Also, newly-crowned Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen is expected to compete in the Golden Glory-affiliated event.
Check out the welterweight tournament preview below.
It wasn’t the most entertaining fight, but Shane Roller is walking away from UFC 148 with his second UFC victory—a much needed win given that he was coming off three straight losses.
