John Dodson became the latest fighter to drop off Dec. 14’s UFC on Fox 9 card Tuesday evening.
According to MMAjunkie, Dodson withdrew from his scheduled fight against Scott Jorgensen after suffering an injury in training, leaving the UFC to do s…
John Dodson became the latest fighter to drop off Dec. 14’s UFC on Fox 9 card Tuesday evening.
According to MMAjunkie, Dodson withdrew from his scheduled fight against Scott Jorgensen after suffering an injury in training, leaving the UFC to do some last-minute shuffling.
For those keeping track at home, Dodson’s injury represents the fifth major hit to this card, as Anthony Pettis, John Moraga, Kelvin Gastelum and Jamie Varner also fell off the night’s lineup in recent months.
Pettis’ injury was particularly devastating, as he was expected to defend his lightweight title for the first time against Josh Thomson. Because of his injury, however, the UFC replaced the bout with the current main event between flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez.
Jorgensen was originally expected to face Ian McCall at this event, but “Uncle Creepy” pulled out of the fight in late October, also citing an injury.
No replacement opponents have been named for Jorgensen’s flyweight debut, but in a thin division, the pickings are slim.
Since McCall and Dodson were originally named as opponents for Jorgensen’s first trek to the 125-pound division, it is clear that the UFC is comfortable with giving him a top-level opponent right away.
Because of this, top 10 opponents like John Lineker, Ali Bagautinov or Chris Cariaso make sense. All of these men are coming off big wins in recent months and would provide an adequate test for Jorgensen to gauge how well he can perform in a new division.
Lineker, however, struggles to make weight with a full training camp behind him, and a short-notice bout will almost assuredly not work out in his favor on the scale.
Bagautinov and Cariaso, on the other hand, have always made weight, and they’ve each competed within the past two months, so they should be prepared for a quick turnaround.
These possibilities aside, Jorgensen is fully expected to participate at UFC on Fox 9, and his flyweight debut will be hotly anticipated regardless of who stands across from him inside of the Octagon.
Stay tuned. A replacement opponent will be released shortly.
Just days after Ian McCall dropped out of his scheduled flyweight bout at UFC on Fox 9, a replacement has been found to take on debuting flyweight Scott Jorgensen.
The bout will be a featured prelim on a very stacked card that includes Anthony Pettis, …
The bout will be a featured prelim on a very stacked card that includes Anthony Pettis, Urijah Faber and Chad Mendes.
John Dodson, who is coming off an absolute drubbing of Darrell Montague this month at UFC 166, will make a quick turnaround and join the card in Sacramento, California. It will be Dodson’s third fight this year, winning the aforementioned Montague bout after falling in a flyweight championship bout to Demetrious Johnson.
Jorgensen makes the drop to flyweight after recent struggles at his normal home of bantamweight. He is 1-3 in his last four fights, including a brutal knockout loss to Eddie Wineland and a submission loss to Urijah Faber.
He is a former bantamweight title challenger, as he took on Dominick Cruz at the final WEC event. He lost via unanimous decision but showed great durability in that fight.
As for the new fight, it should be interesting. Jorgensen is making a ten-pound drop to flyweight. This is his first time dropping, so we will see how he handles the cut.
He is a great wrestler with a good chin. He is going to want to get Dodson down, or he will get outstruck by the technical, powerful striker.
Dodson, though, has great takedown defense, athleticism and quickness, which has allowed him to stay upright in his fights. If you take a look at his UFC track record, he has knocked out some top guys including Montague, Jussier da Silva and TJ Dillashaw.
Many people think Dodson is the top contender after the Demetrious Johnson-Joseph Benavidez fight. He will definitely solidify that status with a win over Jorgensen.
Stay tuned for more news and updates from Bleacher Report.
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After what was a great night of fights at UFC 166 last weekend, Dana White talked about John Dodson, an exciting flyweight fighter who won his bout via knockout. Dodson is like many dynamic and hungry fighters on the roster; he wants to fight as often …
After what was a great night of fights at UFC 166 last weekend, Dana White talked about John Dodson, an exciting flyweight fighter who won his bout via knockout. Dodson is like many dynamic and hungry fighters on the roster; he wants to fight as often as possible in order to make as much money as possible.
The fight game has always belonged to the young, sans exceptions to the rule, such as Randy Couture, Dan Henderson, Bernard Hopkins and others. Fighters want to make the most of the time they have and the spotlight available to them.
Sadly, in the UFC, competition for both is fierce.
White, never a man to shy away from any conversation that deals with his company and the policies by which they exist and thrive, spoke on the subject of Dodson, fighter cuts and the realities of having a full roster (h/t Jesse Holland via mmamania.com).
“I keep telling you guys our roster is too full. Guys have to get fights and every time after a show we cut a guy, people say ‘F–k you, Dana White, you’re an idiot.’ Shut the f–k up and let us run our business.”
As usual, White does not hide his feelings or resort to false pretense when faced with the public’s recurring misconception about a company policy. He’s got more than enough right to conduct business as he see’s fit. He is the man that knows what the guts of the machine actually look like, and how best to keep them running.
But there is a wrinkle in the bed sheet.
White may indeed be the man with the plan, but the fans are the ones who make it possible. As the sport has grown, so has the UFC, and that has seen White grow more and more accustomed to addressing the fans as if they were nothing more than ignorant children who should be happy with whatever he decides to give them.
Obviously, if pushed to address this fact, White would give the fans their due and explain that he is not speaking to the masses, but rather the minority who take exception with nearly everything he says.
But at the end of the day, when speaking with the media, if he does not make that difference known at the podium, then the message goes out unfiltered, and is processed and assimilated by the fans in total, who have every right to feel angry and slighted by such declarations.
White is in a tough position, just as every man in authority is. But he took that mantle upon himself, and by now he should know how to navigate the landscape without trampling on everyone who just so happens to be in front of him.
Now that we’ve all come down from the meth-like high that UFC 166 provided, let’s get down to some business, shall we? Fans and pundits of the sport alike have previously hailed our armchair matchmakers as “The most sagacious, in-depth and intellectually gratifying reading experiences in all of mixed martial arts reporting,” so let’s hope we can work our magic for Saturday’s biggest winners. Besides, AMC FearFest starts soon and we will be checking out for the rest of this month once that gets underway.
Daniel Cormier: To hell with who Cormier should be matched up with next, I want to be matched up with Cormier’s kickboxing coach and learn the art of the turning side check kick, STAT. In all seriousness, we’d like to see the former Olympian matched up with fellow grappling stud Phil Davis next. Davis is fresh off a split decision over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163, and if Cormier is as insistent on cutting to LHW as he seems, Davis would make for a perfect litmus test.
Now that we’ve all come down from the meth-like high that UFC 166 provided, let’s get down to some business, shall we? Fans and pundits of the sport alike have previously hailed our armchair matchmakers as “The most sagacious, in-depth and intellectually gratifying reading experiences in all of mixed martial arts reporting,” so let’s hope we can work our magic for Saturday’s biggest winners. Besides, AMC FearFest starts soon and we will be checking out for the rest of this month once that gets underway.
Daniel Cormier: To hell with who Cormier should be matched up with next, I want to be matched up with Cormier’s kickboxing coach and learn the art of the turning side check kick, STAT. In all seriousness, we’d like to see the former Olympian matched up with fellow grappling stud Phil Davis next. Davis is fresh off a split decision over Lyoto Machida at UFC 163, and if Cormier is as insistent on cutting to LHW as he seems, Davis would make for a perfect litmus test.
Gilbert Melendez: Either T.J. Grant or Khabib Nurmagomedov. Grant’s already injured his way out of a title shot, and with Josh Thomson taking on Anthony Pettis next, a fight between Melendez (who lost a razor-thin split decision to former champ Ben Henderson in his previous fight) and Grant would make for a sure-to-be slugfest that would help determine the true #1 contender in an already stacked division. Now that we’ve seen how Melendez deals with an extrovert-lunatic like Sanchez, it will be interesting to see how he handles an introverted, Ed Gein-esque lunatic like Grant. Because you just know that Grant has robbed a grave or two in his day. He’s got that look in his eyes.
Of course, now that Nurmagomedov is farmboy slamming top contenders like Pat Healy and calling for title shots in his post-fight interviews, a fight with the former Strikeforce champion could be the validating fight he’s been looking for. His name still doesn’t carry the kind of power that Melendez’s does, but a win over the Russian would solidify “El Nino’s” place as a future title challenger.
Gabriel Gonzaga: While watching UFC 166 at a particularly distressing Buffalo Wild Wings in Skokie, Illinois last weekend, I overheard a man known only as “Possum” refer to Gonzaga as “a real Jekyll and Hyde” fighter. It was perhaps the most astute fighter analysis I have ever heard. Thankfully, Gonzaga has been a lot more Hyde than Jekyll in his second UFC run, putting together four stoppage wins against just one defeat. With that in mind, we think the UFC should give Gonzaga another shot at glory against an upper-echelon heavyweight and see how he fares. Although Stipe Miocic is basically the only guy who fits the above criteria and doesn’t currently have a fight booked, we think the winner of the Frank Mir/Alistair Overeem fight would make for a better matchup. Our prediction: Pain.
John Dodson: There are really only two options available for the hardest hitting flyweight in the division: You either give him the Lineker-Harris winner or the Jorgensen-McCall winner. Or you give him another title shot. Or you give him another UFC newbie to beat on and kill some time. OK, so there’s four options. But only two of them are sensible, so take your pick.
What do you think, Potato Nation? Do these matchups intrigue you in the slightest? And who would you like to see UFC 166′s losers face next?
It took just one stiff left hand from John Dodson for the Jackson’s MMA stalwart to significantly up his stock in the UFC’s blossoming 125-pound division at UFC 166 on Saturday.
Dodson, whose lone setback in the UFC came against flyweight linchpin Deme…
It took just one stiff left hand from John Dodson for the Jackson’s MMA stalwart to significantly up his stock in the UFC’s blossoming 125-pound division at UFC 166 on Saturday.
Dodson, whose lone setback in the UFC came against flyweight linchpin Demetrious Johnson, scored an impressive first-round KO over highly touted newcomer Darrell Montague. Dodson pocketed a $60,000 Knockout of the Night bonus for his efforts.
In a post-fight interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Dodson admitted that he felt pressure to not only win, but to deliver a highlight-reel finish.
I had to do something spectacular. If I wanted to get back on another card and fight soon, I’ve got to end this one [and] win it the way that I just did, and show Dana White and all of the UFC that I’m a badass [and] throw me in another fight. I don’t care if it’s going to be two weeks [or] three weeks, I’m going to be ready to go.
By doing so, the second-ranked Dodson has effectively positioned himself for another shot at the belt, and unless he accepts a fight in the meantime, The Magician should get the winner of the Johnson/Joseph Benavidez bout at the TUF 18 finale on Nov. 30.
Aside from a bout with the winner of the Johnson/Benavidez title tilt, only a few other sensible matchups exist for Dodson.
The Magician could take on the winner of the Ian McCall/Scott Jorgensen scrap in December, or he could call out the surging John Lineker (No. 5), assuming Lineker gets past Phil Harris at UFC Fight Night 30 on Saturday.
Dodson, who TKO’d the UFC’s eighth-ranked bantamweight, T.J. Dillashaw, to win season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter, has already notched wins over three of the top 10 fighters in the flyweight division.
Prior to his time on The Ultimate Fighter, Dodson first earned a unanimous decision over John Moraga [No. 4]. The speedy southpaw then scored a unanimous decision over Timothy Elliott (No. 7) before TKO’ingJussierFormiga (No. 6).
Although it seems he has the leverage to demand a high-profile fight with either the winner of the Johnson/Benavidez fight or the winner of the McCall/Jorgensen scrap, Dodson told Helwani he just wants to get back in the Octagon.
“(I’ll take) anybody that they want to give me,” Dodson said. “Please don’t put me on the bench. Don’t put me on the bench for another six months. I want to go within two or one … one day. I don’t care. Just give me somebody. I want to fight.”
Regardless of who he gets pitted with in his next outing, Dodson has established himself as a force to take seriously and as the most explosive finisher in the flyweight division.
It’s a fine feather in Dodson’s cap, especially considering Benavidez, Johnson and McCall each call 125 home.
(Cain Velasquez admires his violence on the big screen. / Photo via Getty)
Suddenly, the rivalry between heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos seems a little less competitive than was hoped for. Many observers were treating this fight as merely the latest engagement in a battle for the heavyweight crown that was to last for years ahead. Less a conclusion to a trilogy and more a precursor to a tetralogy or beyond, it was expected that this fight would see a more competitive affair showcasing the strengths of both men. That didn’t happen. Velasquez absolutely dominated Dos Santos, flooring him in the third before finishing him (sort of) in the fifth. It’s clear now that Cain Velasquez is the unstoppable force. Despite his unquestioned stature as the second best heavyweight in the UFC, Junior Dos Santos is not the immovable object.
Pace and pressure are amorphous terms reliant on context; it’s more difficult to conceive of these finishing a fight than something we can easily discern like a punch or kick. Yet it was the relentless forward motion and unending attack of Velasquez that led to the finish last night and the dominance that preceded it. Dos Santos had his moments; he landed a number of hard shots to open the first round, and landed a nice elbow against the cage to end the second. But other than that, it was all Cain. He didn’t dominate from bell to bell like he did in the second fight, but he wore down Dos Santos over the course of the first two rounds before capitalizing in the third. Velasquez floored Dos Santos with a counter overhand right, and almost finished the fight there; Herb Dean put his hand on Velasquez’ shoulder at one point, but reconsidered.
Things didn’t improve for Dos Santos afterwards, and in the fifth round he went for a desperation front choke. As Cain attempted successfully to escape, Dos Santos rolled, crashing his forehead on the mat. Either disoriented or utterly exhausted, Dos Santos could not continue and Velasquez secured the latest stoppage victory in UFC history. At the undisputed pinnacle of his weight class – the first heavyweight to truly claim this distinction since Fedor Emelianenko – it’s hard to imagine anyone toppling Velasquez soon. Daniel Cormier, who fought earlier in the evening, is his wrestling coach and is moving down to 205. Fabricio Werdum, his presumptive opponent, can submit anyone but will unlikely be able to take the fight to the ground against a wrestler of Cain’s caliber. A future rematch with Dos Santos is not inconceivable, but a different result is at this point. Despite his heart, his chin and his skills, it seems that Dos Santos is not destined to be the foil to Velasquez that we hoped he would be; Velasquez is the heavyweight division’s emperor.
Speaking of Daniel Cormier…
(Cain Velasquez admires his violence on the big screen. / Photo via Getty)
Suddenly, the rivalry between heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos seems a little less competitive than was hoped for. Many observers were treating this fight as merely the latest engagement in a battle for the heavyweight crown that was to last for years ahead. Less a conclusion to a trilogy and more a precursor to a tetralogy or beyond, it was expected that this fight would see a more competitive affair showcasing the strengths of both men. That didn’t happen. Velasquez absolutely dominated Dos Santos, flooring him in the third before finishing him (sort of) in the fifth. It’s clear now that Cain Velasquez is the unstoppable force. Despite his unquestioned stature as the second best heavyweight in the UFC, Junior Dos Santos is not the immovable object.
Pace and pressure are amorphous terms reliant on context; it’s more difficult to conceive of these finishing a fight than something we can easily discern like a punch or kick. Yet it was the relentless forward motion and unending attack of Velasquez that led to the finish last night and the dominance that preceded it. Dos Santos had his moments; he landed a number of hard shots to open the first round, and landed a nice elbow against the cage to end the second. But other than that, it was all Cain. He didn’t dominate from bell to bell like he did in the second fight, but he wore down Dos Santos over the course of the first two rounds before capitalizing in the third. Velasquez floored Dos Santos with a counter overhand right, and almost finished the fight there; Herb Dean put his hand on Velasquez’ shoulder at one point, but reconsidered.
Things didn’t improve for Dos Santos afterwards, and in the fifth round he went for a desperation front choke. As Cain attempted successfully to escape, Dos Santos rolled, crashing his forehead on the mat. Either disoriented or utterly exhausted, Dos Santos could not continue and Velasquez secured the latest stoppage victory in UFC history. At the undisputed pinnacle of his weight class – the first heavyweight to truly claim this distinction since Fedor Emelianenko – it’s hard to imagine anyone toppling Velasquez soon. Daniel Cormier, who fought earlier in the evening, is his wrestling coach and is moving down to 205. Fabricio Werdum, his presumptive opponent, can submit anyone but will unlikely be able to take the fight to the ground against a wrestler of Cain’s caliber. A future rematch with Dos Santos is not inconceivable, but a different result is at this point. Despite his heart, his chin and his skills, it seems that Dos Santos is not destined to be the foil to Velasquez that we hoped he would be; Velasquez is the heavyweight division’s emperor.
Speaking of Daniel Cormier, he took an easy decision victory over a game Roy Nelson before changing and coaching Cain Velasquez to victory. On his way down to light heavyweight – he weighed 224 for this fight – Cormier dominated Nelson in all facets of the sport. He outstruck, outwrestled, outworked and simply outfought Nelson. There isn’t much to add to this. Cormier, if he can cut the weight, might just be the best fighter at 205 right now. He’s not just a complete fighter; he’s a complete fighter with exceptional abilities in every department. With his win, the members of the 2008 Olympic wrestling team move to 33-0 in MMA, Cormier moved himself to 13-0, and Roy Nelson took sole ownership of the UFC record for most significant strikes absorbed in a career with 511. He might not contend for a title any time soon, but Nelson is still guaranteed to put on good fights at the expense of his cognitive ability.
But the best fight of the night – as well as the literal Fight of The Night – was the slobberknocker between Diego Sanchez and Gilbert Melendez. In what may be the fight of the year, both men left it all in the Octagon. Within 30 seconds of the first round, Sanchez had already managed to take Melendez’ back and things just got crazier from there. Neither man backed down throughout the fight, although Melendez generally got the better of the exchanges. He cut Sanchez in the first round and dropped him at the end of it. But Sanchez wouldn’t be discouraged. Despite being cut so badly above his left eye that the fight was halted twice to check on it, he pressed on. In the third, he caught Melendez with an uppercut in a wild exchange and dropped him, sending the crowd into a frenzy. But it wasn’t to be; tough as Sanchez was, Melendez’ own toughness prevailed. He won a deserved unanimous decision through the strength of superior combinations. This wasn’t a fight were there was a true loser though; both men left everything they had in the cage.
The first two fights on the main card were, suffice it to say, less competitive. Gabriel Gonzaga, looking like a cross between a caveman and a 70′s pornstar, flattened Shawn Jordan with a counter right hand before annihilating him with hammerfists a minute into their bout. And John Dodson knocked out Darrell Montague in the first round, hitting him so hard it took a second for Montague’s brain to register that it wasn’t working anymore. When this realization came, Montague face-planted into the mat and the fight was stopped. The amusing knockout earned Dodson the KO of the Night bonus; the Submission of the Night went to Tony Ferguson for a brabo choke on the undercard.
The sound and fury that accompanied this card have given way to silence. No one is debating whether Cain Velasquez or Junior Dos Santos is the best heavyweight. Any arguments have dissipated; dissent has ceased. Velasquez is less a fighter than a force of nature; save for an act of God – like the right hand that led to his sole loss, which is looking less consequential by the day – he can’t seem to be stopped, let alone withstood. The narrative is no longer waiting to see who can stop him; it’s simply accounting for how much damage he will do.
Results:
Main Card:
Cain Velasquez def. Junior Dos Santos via TKO, Round 5, 3:09
Daniel Cormier def. Roy Nelson via UD (30-27×3)
Gilbert Melendez def. Diego Sanchez via UD (30-27, 29-28×2)
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Shawn Jordan via KO, Round 1, 1:33
John Dodson def. Darrell Montague via KO, Round 1, 4:13
Preliminary Card:
Tim Boetsch def. CB Dollaway via SD (30-26×2, 27-29) [Author’s note: Uhhh…?]
Hector Lombard def. Nate Marquardt via KO, Round 1, 1:48
Jessica Eye def. Sarah Kaufman via SD (29-28×2, 28-29)
K.J. Noons def. George Sotiropoulos via UD (30-27, 29-28×2)
Adlan Amagov def. T.J. Waldburger via KO, Round 1, 3:00
Tony Ferguson def. Mike Rio via SUB, Round 1, 1:52
Andre Fili def. Jeremy Larsen via TKO, Round 2, 0:53
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Dustin Pague via TKO, Round 2, 3:51
It took just one stiff left hand from 
