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UFC on FX 5: Which Fight Will Steal the Show?

The first flyweight title fight was met with lukewarm reactions by the fans at UFC 152. But Friday’s main card battle of 125ers will eliminate any fears over the viability of the division and will steal the show in the process.The Ultimate Fighte…

The Ultimate Fighter 14 winner John Dodson will welcome top-ranked flyweight Jussier da Silva to the UFC at this weekend’s event on FX in a bout that may determine the first contender for inaugural champ Demetrious Johnson’s belt. With such a big opportunity possibly at stake, expect both men to bring their A-game on Friday night.

Dodson has quickly become a fan favorite following his stint on the UFC’s long-running reality show. Easily rolling over his TUF opponents, “The Magician” has translated this success to MMA‘s main stage with impressive back-to-back wins in his two fights for the promotion.

In his last bout, Dodson made his return to the then newly created flyweight division, taking on UFC newcomer Tim Elliott. The TUF winner, although suffering from an injured left hand, was still able to use his athleticism and striking accuracy to take home the unanimous decision.

A fully healthy Dodson will bring an even wider arsenal to the table against da Silva. “The Magician’s” wrestling and increased strength at 125 will definitely be a challenge for the Brazilian.

Da Silva brings a completely different, yet deadly skill set, to the Octagon that will be interesting to see juxtaposed against Dodson’s style.

“Formiga” is a serious submission threat on the ground, thanks to his training with the famed team Nova Uniao. With his only career loss coming to Ian McCall, da Silva has already proven himself as one of the top flyweights in the world.

When these two enter the Octagon, it will be a surefire, back-and-forth battle that could go anywhere.

If Dodson’s gameplan is to try and strike with da Silva, expect a high-energy pace from the TUF alum with some creative attacks mixed in with his crisp strikes.

Da Silva will almost certainly look to take the fight to the ground, which may be even more entertaining than a stand-up battle. Dodson is quick in the scramble and has solid shots, but da Silva is a solid jiu-jitsu player who will constantly be attacking off his back with sweeps and submissions.

Regardless of where this fight goes, I expect viewers will be entertained by the outcome, as these 125ers will bring the energy and the action on Friday night, winning over some fans for the flyweight division in the process.

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Benavidez vs Johnson: 5 Fights for Joseph Benavidez to Take Next

At UFC 152’s co-main event, Joseph Benavidez found himself a step behind Demetrious Johnson, losing the first ever UFC flyweight title bout by split decision. While Benavidez is finally in the right weight class, he will have to climb back to…

At UFC 152’s co-main event, Joseph Benavidez found himself a step behind Demetrious Johnson, losing the first ever UFC flyweight title bout by split decision.

While Benavidez is finally in the right weight class, he will have to climb back to the top if he wants to get another shot against Johnson.

Benavidez will be up to the challenge though as he wants nothing more than to be a UFC champion.

Here’s a look at some fights he could take to get back at the top.

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UFC Booking Orgy: Demian Maia vs. Rick Story, John Dodson vs. Jussier Da Silva + More

(“Now, Demian! Use the muscle-spasm death touch that I taught you!”)

Demian Maia‘s welterweight debut at UFC 148 was over before it really began, thanks to a poorly timed muscle spasm suffered by Dong Hyun Kim. But the former middleweight title contender will be getting another chance to make an impression against Rick Story. Their bout is scheduled to take place at UFC 153 (October 13th, Rio de Janeiro), a card that is quickly stacking up with top Brazilian talent. Story recently outpointed newcomer Brock Jardine at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida, which snapped a two-fight losing streak against Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann.

Speaking of Brenneman, “The Spaniard” has booked his return fight after being choked out by Erick Silva in June. He’ll be appearing at UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson (September 1st, Las Vegas) against TUF 11 competitor — and former Crocodile Hunter bodyguard — Kyle Noke, who is coming off of two losses at middleweight and will be making his welterweight debut.

In other booking news…

(“Now, Demian! Use the muscle-spasm death touch that I taught you!”)

Demian Maia‘s welterweight debut at UFC 148 was over before it really began, thanks to a poorly timed muscle spasm suffered by Dong Hyun Kim. But the former middleweight title contender will be getting another chance to make an impression against Rick Story. Their bout is scheduled to take place at UFC 153: Aldo vs. Koch (October 13th, Rio de Janeiro), a card that is quickly stacking up with top Brazilian talent. Story recently outpointed newcomer Brock Jardine at UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida, which snapped a two-fight losing streak against Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann.

Speaking of Brenneman, “The Spaniard” has booked his return fight after being choked out by Erick Silva in June. He’ll be appearing at UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson(September 1st, Las Vegas) against TUF 11 competitor — and former Crocodile Hunter bodyguard — Kyle Noke, who is coming off of two losses at middleweight and will be making his welterweight debut.

In other booking news…

– After winning all of his first three UFC appearances, Tristar gym product Francis Carmont will compete on his home turf against Tom Lawlor, at UFC 154: St. Pierre vs. Condit (November 17th, Montreal.) Lawlor is coming off a 50-second Knockout of the Night performance against Jason MacDonald in May.

– The UFC has confirmed more fights for their UFC on FX 5: Browne vs. Bigfoot card (October 5th, Minneapolis). Notably, a heavyweight matchup between Matt Mitrione and Rob Broughton — originally scheduled for this weekend’s UFC on FOX 4 card, until Broughton pulled out due to injury — has been re-set for the UFC on FX 5 lineup. Broughton has dropped consecutive decisions to Travis Browne and Phil De Fries, while Mitrione will try to bounce back from his decision loss to Cheick Kongo at UFC 137. And on the other end of the fighter-size spectrum, TUF 14 bantamweight winner John Dodson will make his latest flyweight appearance against much-hyped newcomer Jussier da Silva, in a match that could very well produce the #1 contender in the 125-pound division.

Please direct your predictions to the comments section.

Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller Booked for ‘UFC on FOX 3?, May 5th in New Jersey

(Nate Diaz poses with future UFC bantamweight champ Ronnie Ortiz-Magro.)

The UFC confirmed this morning that their third FOX show will take place May 5 at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J. Though it hasn’t been officially marked as the headliner, a high-profile lightweight bout between Nate Diaz and Jim Miller will be featured on the main card.

Diaz is coming off a three-round domination of Donald Cerrone at UFC 141 — arguably the greatest performance of his career — making it two wins in a row for Diaz since he returned to lightweight last fall. Meanwhile, New Jersey native Jim Miller bounced back to the win column last Friday with a first-round submission of Melvin Guillard, proving that he still belongs among the division’s elite. Though the fight probably isn’t a #1 contender’s match, it’ll certainly bump the winner very close to a title shot. Fun fact: In 27 combined UFC fights, neither man has ever been stopped.

(Nate Diaz poses with future UFC bantamweight champ Ronnie Ortiz-Magro.)

In other UFC on FOX 3 booking news…

Also returning to the cage on May 5th is TUF 14 bantamweight winner John Dodson, who will be dropping back down to 125 pounds for his first post-TUF appearance. His opponent will be Darren Uyenoyama, who will also be dropping to flyweight after outpointing Norifumi Yamamoto in a bantamweight bout during his Octagon debut on the “UFC on FOX 1″ undercard. We’re pulling for Dodson here, just so we can see the victory celebration.

TUF Champ John Dodson Moves to Flyweight, Faces Darren Uyenoyama at UFC on FOX 3

Filed under: UFC, NewsLast year’s Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson won’t stick around at bantamweight.

With the arrival of a flyweight class in the UFC, the “Magician” will disappear from the 135-pound weight class to move down to the flyweight div…

Filed under: UFC, News

Last year’s Ultimate Fighter winner John Dodson won’t stick around at bantamweight.

With the arrival of a flyweight class in the UFC, the “Magician” will disappear from the 135-pound weight class to move down to the flyweight division, where he will face Darren Uyenoyama at the upcoming UFC on FOX 3 event, the UFC confirmed late on Tuesday night.

Dodson (12-5) steamrolled his way through season 14 of TUF last year, knocking out TJ Dillashaw in the finals to capture his division. The Team Greg Jackson trained fighter is 27 years old.

Uyenoyama (7-3) will also be making his octagon flyweight division, though he has fought in the UFC once before, defeating Kid Yamamoto via decision at the first UFC on FOX show.

UFC on FOX 3 takes place on May 5 from the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The only other announced bout to date is a lightweight fight between highly ranked contenders Jim Miller and Nate Diaz.

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MMA Top 10 Flyweights: Joe Benavidez Will Be the Best

Filed under: UFC, FlyweightsWhen we assemble a list of the Top 10 flyweights in MMA, there’s a lot of guesswork involved, because the flyweight class really hasn’t been established in MMA.

That’s about to change, however, thanks to the UFC’s announcem…

Filed under: UFC, Flyweights

When we assemble a list of the Top 10 flyweights in MMA, there’s a lot of guesswork involved, because the flyweight class really hasn’t been established in MMA.

That’s about to change, however, thanks to the UFC‘s announcement this month that it will launch the flyweight division in March. Previously, there just weren’t any high-paying fights for 125-pounders, which meant that the best natural flyweights in the world were fighting bigger opponents at bantamweight.

So as I rank the Top 10 flyweights in MMA below, I’m not only ranking the Top 10 guys who have already fought at flyweight. I’m also including former bantamweights who I expect to see at flyweight in 2012. That includes the two UFC fighters who I expect to see win their flyweight debuts in March and fight for the first UFC flyweight belt in the summer.

Top 10 Flyweights in MMA
1. Joseph Benavidez: I’ve been saying for years that Benavidez would be the best flyweight in the world just as soon as he had a flyweight class to fight in. In 2012, we’ll see if I was right.

2. Demetrious Johnson: “Mighty Mouse” has incredible speed and good wrestling and has been quite successful at bantamweight. He lost his last fight to the champion, Dominick Cruz, but now that he’s a flyweight he won’t have to face the huge reach disadvantage that he had in the Cruz fight.

3. Ian McCall: The reigning Tachi Palace flyweight champion, McCall will get a chance to prove that he’s the best flyweight in the world now that he’s with the UFC. He debuts against Johnson in March.

4. Jussier da Silva: da Silva was widely regarded as the best flyweight in the world before he lost the Tachi Palace championship to McCall. Since that loss he’s gone right back to his winning ways with three straight victories, most recently with a first-round submission win over Rodrigo Santos in Brazil. He’d be a great addition to the UFC’s flyweight class.

5. Yasuhiro Urushitani: The reigning Shooto 123-pound champion is coming off a great head-kick victory and now gets ready to face Benavidez in what should be a sensational fight.

6. John Lineker: The reigning bantamweight champion of Brazil’s Jungle Fight promotion, Lineker is expected to start fighting at flyweight in the UFC in 2012. I’m eager to see what he can do: In Brazil, he’s been incredibly active (13-0 in the last two years) and incredibly exciting, with a wild striking style that has opponents not knowing what to do. The 20-year-old Lineker still has room to improve, especially in his ground game, but that improvement is going to be a lot of fun to watch. I think he’s a future flyweight champion.

7. Darrell Montague: Montague lost to McCall in his most recent fight, but his only loss other than that was to the much bigger Robert Peralta. It should be just a matter of time before he’s a UFC flyweight.

8. Shinichi “B.J.” Kojima: Kojima was once recognized as the best flyweight in the world, but after losing to da Silva in 2009 he took more than two years off. Now he’s finally back and on a two-fight winning streak, and I expect to see him in the UFC — he told me in 2009 that he wants to fight for Zuffa.

9. John Dodson: The Ultimate Fighter’s bantamweight winner will be a natural fit for the flyweight class. He’s really too small to fight at 135 pounds, and it’s impressive that he managed to win The Ultimate Fighter despite being at a size disadvantage. Dodson had a lot of success at flyweight before his Ultimate Fighter stint, and he should have more success at flyweight in the UFC. Dodson lost to Urushitani in 2004, but that fight at the beginning of his career doesn’t tell us much about how the two would match up if they ever rematched.

10. Louis Gaudinot: Immediately following Gaudinot’s loss at the Ultimate Fighter Finale, I wrote that he’s too small for bantamweight and had to fight at flyweight. I think we’ll see good things from him back at 125 pounds, where he’s more comfortable.

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