With the main and co-main events for World Series of Fighting 31 already confirmed, the promotion has finished out the remainder of the NBC Sports Network main card.
Scheduled for June 17 from the Foxwoods Resort Casino, the card will feature Josh Copeland challenging Blagoy Ivanov for the heavyweight title and a lightweight contender match pitting Mike Ricci vs. Jason High.
Announced on Tuesday were three new fights, as John Howard battles Thiago Meller, Chris Barnett faces off with Justin Willis and Luis Palomino meets Sheymon Moraes.
Below is the complete release, which details each of the three new fights:
World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) today announced the addition of three star-studded matchups to complete the main card for its WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world heavyweight championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Friday, June 17.
In a second heavyweight matchup, dynamic, rising star Chris “Huggy Bear” Barnett (14-2) will make his World Series of Fighting debut against Team AKA prodigy Justin Willis (4-1).
Also stepping in the decagon cage for the first time, battle-tested warrior John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12) will collide with submission expert Thiago “Minu” Meller (20-7) in a welterweight (170 pounds) affair.
In a featherweight (145 pounds) scrap between two prolific strikers, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (24-12) will face off with former world championship challenger Sheymon Moraes (8-1).
In the main event, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) while, in the lightweight (155 pounds) co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.
Chris Barnett vs. Justin Willis
After spending the last year and a half making waves in Japan, the 5-foot-9, 29-year-old Barnett of Tampa, Fla. will suit up as “Huggy Bear,” and make his way onto a major stage in the U.S. for the first time in his career.
With heavy hands and tremendous agility for a fighter of his massive stature, Barnett has notched 12 of his 14 career victories by way of (T)KO, and has celebrated his wins in flamboyant fashion, with everything from cartwheels to breakdancing to hand stands.
Like Barnett, the stocky, 6-foot-3, 28-year-old Willis, a training partner of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) greats Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier, has been enjoying success in Japan under the promotion of Inoki Genome Federation (IFG).
Willis will make his first start of 2016, and look to extend his win streak to four consecutive bouts. In his last effort on August 29, he earned a unanimous decision over Rizvan Kuniev in Tokyo.
Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon Moraes
The 5-foot-8, 35-year-old Palomino of Miami, Fla. via Lima, Peru is coming off an epic year in which he engaged in two, all-out wars with reigning, undefeated World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje, both of which earned “Fight of the Month” honors.
After closing out 2015 with a gutsy appearance in World Series of Fighting’s first-ever, one-night, eight-man tournament in which he scored a devastating, first round (4:55) TKO (punches) on Rich Patishnock in the event’s quarterfinal stage, before being stopped in the semifinal stage of battle via second round (4:19) TKO (punches) at the hands of eventual tournament winner Brian Foster, Palomino will return to the featherweight division where he has held two world titles.
The 5-foot-8, 25-year-old Moraes of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil returned to form in his last bout, decimating fellow knockout artist Robbie “Problems” Peralta by way of TKO (punches) in the second round (3:21) of their matchup at WSOF26.
A seasoned Muay Thai stylist, Moraes ran to seven straight victories in his first seven starts as a professional MMA competitor before being handed his first career defeat by way of third round (3:46) submission (rear-naked choke) in a title bid against reigning bantamweight (135 pounds) champion Marlon Moraes.
John Howard vs. Thiago Meller
Following his second stint with the UFC that spanned seven bouts and included victories over Uriah Hall, Siyar Bahadurzada and Cathal Pendred, the 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Mass. will aim to rebound from a second round (:21) KO (punches) loss to Tim Means on December 10.
To date, Howard has notched 15 of his 23 career victories by way of (T)KO or submission. During his initial run with the UFC between January 2009 and June 2011, Howard scored a memorable, third round (4:55) KO (punches) on submission ace Dennis “Superman” Hallman on December 5, 2009, marking his third consecutive conquest in the league.
Meller of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil will look to collect his second win in a row, following his first round submission (rear-naked choke) of Leonardo Rodriguez on June 26, 2015.
The 5-foot-10, 33-year-old Meller, a near 13-year veteran of the sport, has emerged victorious in 14 of his 20 career wins, by way of submission.
The preliminary bout card lineup for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland will be announced soon.
Priced from $39.99, tickets for the event are on sale at WSOF.com and Foxwoods.com.
Doors at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland, at 5 p.m. ET, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m.
With the main and co-main events for World Series of Fighting 31 already confirmed, the promotion has finished out the remainder of the NBC Sports Network main card.
Scheduled for June 17 from the Foxwoods Resort Casino, the card will feature Josh Copeland challenging Blagoy Ivanov for the heavyweight title and a lightweight contender match pitting Mike Ricci vs. Jason High.
Announced on Tuesday were three new fights, as John Howard battles Thiago Meller, Chris Barnett faces off with Justin Willis and Luis Palomino meets Sheymon Moraes.
Below is the complete release, which details each of the three new fights:
World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) today announced the addition of three star-studded matchups to complete the main card for its WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world heavyweight championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. from Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. on Friday, June 17.
In a second heavyweight matchup, dynamic, rising star Chris “Huggy Bear” Barnett (14-2) will make his World Series of Fighting debut against Team AKA prodigy Justin Willis (4-1).
Also stepping in the decagon cage for the first time, battle-tested warrior John “Doomsday” Howard (23-12) will collide with submission expert Thiago “Minu” Meller (20-7) in a welterweight (170 pounds) affair.
In a featherweight (145 pounds) scrap between two prolific strikers, Luis “Baboon” Palomino (24-12) will face off with former world championship challenger Sheymon Moraes (8-1).
In the main event, reigning world heavyweight champion Blagoy Ivanov (13-1) will risk his title against Josh “Cuddly Bear” Copeland (13-1) while, in the lightweight (155 pounds) co-main event, superstars Jason “The Kansas City Bandit” High (19-5) and Mike “The Martian” Ricci (11-4) will square off with their division’s number one contender ranking at stake.
Chris Barnett vs. Justin Willis
After spending the last year and a half making waves in Japan, the 5-foot-9, 29-year-old Barnett of Tampa, Fla. will suit up as “Huggy Bear,” and make his way onto a major stage in the U.S. for the first time in his career.
With heavy hands and tremendous agility for a fighter of his massive stature, Barnett has notched 12 of his 14 career victories by way of (T)KO, and has celebrated his wins in flamboyant fashion, with everything from cartwheels to breakdancing to hand stands.
Like Barnett, the stocky, 6-foot-3, 28-year-old Willis, a training partner of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) greats Cain Velasquez and Daniel Cormier, has been enjoying success in Japan under the promotion of Inoki Genome Federation (IFG).
Willis will make his first start of 2016, and look to extend his win streak to four consecutive bouts. In his last effort on August 29, he earned a unanimous decision over Rizvan Kuniev in Tokyo.
Luis Palomino vs. Sheymon Moraes
The 5-foot-8, 35-year-old Palomino of Miami, Fla. via Lima, Peru is coming off an epic year in which he engaged in two, all-out wars with reigning, undefeated World Series of Fighting lightweight champion Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje, both of which earned “Fight of the Month” honors.
After closing out 2015 with a gutsy appearance in World Series of Fighting’s first-ever, one-night, eight-man tournament in which he scored a devastating, first round (4:55) TKO (punches) on Rich Patishnock in the event’s quarterfinal stage, before being stopped in the semifinal stage of battle via second round (4:19) TKO (punches) at the hands of eventual tournament winner Brian Foster, Palomino will return to the featherweight division where he has held two world titles.
The 5-foot-8, 25-year-old Moraes of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil returned to form in his last bout, decimating fellow knockout artist Robbie “Problems” Peralta by way of TKO (punches) in the second round (3:21) of their matchup at WSOF26.
A seasoned Muay Thai stylist, Moraes ran to seven straight victories in his first seven starts as a professional MMA competitor before being handed his first career defeat by way of third round (3:46) submission (rear-naked choke) in a title bid against reigning bantamweight (135 pounds) champion Marlon Moraes.
John Howard vs. Thiago Meller
Following his second stint with the UFC that spanned seven bouts and included victories over Uriah Hall, Siyar Bahadurzada and Cathal Pendred, the 5-foot-7, 33-year-old Howard of Boston, Mass. will aim to rebound from a second round (:21) KO (punches) loss to Tim Means on December 10.
To date, Howard has notched 15 of his 23 career victories by way of (T)KO or submission. During his initial run with the UFC between January 2009 and June 2011, Howard scored a memorable, third round (4:55) KO (punches) on submission ace Dennis “Superman” Hallman on December 5, 2009, marking his third consecutive conquest in the league.
Meller of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil will look to collect his second win in a row, following his first round submission (rear-naked choke) of Leonardo Rodriguez on June 26, 2015.
The 5-foot-10, 33-year-old Meller, a near 13-year veteran of the sport, has emerged victorious in 14 of his 20 career wins, by way of submission.
The preliminary bout card lineup for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland will be announced soon.
Priced from $39.99, tickets for the event are on sale at WSOF.com and Foxwoods.com.
Doors at The Grand Theatre at Foxwoods Resort Casino will open for WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland, at 5 p.m. ET, and the first preliminary card bout will begin at 6 p.m.
One of the most well-traveled journeymen in mixed martial arts will fight for the first time in 2014 at UFC 178. The promotion announced on Sunday via its official website that a welterweight fight between Brian Ebersole and John “Doomsday”…
One of the most well-traveled journeymen in mixed martial arts will fight for the first time in 2014 at UFC 178. The promotion announced on Sunday via its official website that a welterweight fight between Brian Ebersole and John “Doomsday” Howard has been added to the stacked September 27th event in Las Vegas.
Ebersole, who trains out of Tiger Muay Thai, made his UFC debut in 2011 after 62 professional fights and won his first four bouts before suffering back-to-back decision losses to James Head and Rick Story.
Doomsday made his return to the UFC a successful one last August when he won a unanimous decision bout over Uriah Hall in his hometown of Boston. That middleweight fight was less than spectacular, and Howard made the drop back down to welterweight for his next outing.
The Wai Kru product followed that up with another decision victory over Siyar Bahadurzada but came up short against Ryan LaFlare in Abu Dhabi this past April. Howard was competitive in the fight until an accidental low blow visibly affected his performance. He was campaigning for a rematch with LaFlare, but the promotion decided against that, in favor of Howard facing off with Ebersole instead.
The welterweight fight is the latest addition to the robust UFC 178 card, which is headlined by the light heavyweight title fight rematch between champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson. The event also features the long-awaited returns of top bantamweight contenders Dominick Cruz and Cat Zingano.
(After knocking out Josh Barnett, Travis Browne performed the Warmaster’s trademark throat-slashing victory gesture, which means that legally, he now owns Barnett’s soul for all eternity. / Photo via Getty.)
Featuring an eagerly awaited rematch between the greatest middleweight of all time and the undefeated phenom who took his belt, UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva 2 was one of the most anticipated UFC cards of 2013. Thankfully, the highly entertaining main card did not disappoint. Showcasing great performances, unsportsmanlike conduct, leg-snapping horror, and a fart heard around the world, UFC 168 left us no shortage of things to talk about. Here’s our clear-eyed look at what went down on Saturday night.
The Good
• With the state of WMMA still burgeoning, the co-main event of Ronda Rousey vs. Meisha Tate was an important fight for solidifying Women’s Bantamweight as a legitimate and financially viable division for the UFC. Thanks to the highly publicized rematch between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman, the UFC’s two biggest female stars had a high-profile PPV stage to showcase their skills. Thankfully, for the UFC and the fans, Rousey and Tate did not disappoint. Rousey put on a dominating performance and capped it off with a third-round submission victory. The best part? Tate made the fight competitive.
“Cupcake” managed to last three rounds and in the process took Rousey down, escaped multiple submission attempts, and threw some good upkicks from the bottom that had Ronda using caution. On the whole, Tate was outclassed by the better fighter but she showed that Rousey is not invincible — and that’s a good thing. Rousey is an incredible athlete but the UFC cannot base their entire WMMA venture on one fighter. They need contenders and they need the fans to believe that those contenders stand a legitimate chance of winning; otherwise, interest will wane quickly. Rousey looked great, but beatable. That’s exactly what needed to happen. With Sara McMann, Cat Zingano, and Alexis Davis all serving as reasonable challenges, the future of the women’s bantamweight division is looking bright.
(After knocking out Josh Barnett, Travis Browne performed the Warmaster’s trademark throat-slashing victory gesture, which means that legally, he now owns Barnett’s soul for all eternity. / Photo via Getty.)
Featuring an eagerly awaited rematch between the greatest middleweight of all time and the undefeated phenom who took his belt, UFC 168: Weidman vs. Silva 2 was one of the most anticipated UFC cards of 2013. Thankfully, the highly entertaining main card did not disappoint. Showcasing great performances, unsportsmanlike conduct, leg-snapping horror, and a fart heard around the world, UFC 168 left us no shortage of things to talk about. Here’s our clear-eyed look at what went down on Saturday night.
The Good
• With the state of WMMA still burgeoning, the co-main event of Ronda Rousey vs. Meisha Tate was an important fight for solidifying Women’s Bantamweight as a legitimate and financially viable division for the UFC. Thanks to the highly publicized rematch between Anderson Silva and Chris Weidman, the UFC’s two biggest female stars had a high-profile PPV stage to showcase their skills. Thankfully, for the UFC and the fans, Rousey and Tate did not disappoint. Rousey put on a dominating performance and capped it off with a third-round submission victory. The best part? Tate made the fight competitive.
“Cupcake” managed to last three rounds and in the process took Rousey down, escaped multiple submission attempts, and threw some good upkicks from the bottom that had Ronda using caution. On the whole, Tate was outclassed by the better fighter but she showed that Rousey is not invincible — and that’s a good thing. Rousey is an incredible athlete but the UFC cannot base their entire WMMA venture on one fighter. They need contenders and they need the fans to believe that those contenders stand a legitimate chance of winning; otherwise, interest will wane quickly. Rousey looked great, but beatable. That’s exactly what needed to happen. With Sara McMann, Cat Zingano, and Alexis Davis all serving as reasonable challenges, the future of the women’s bantamweight division is looking bright.
• A lot was on the line for both Travis “Hapa” Browne and Josh Barnett at UFC 168, as the 5th and 6th ranked heavyweights, respectively, were risking their spots on the contender ladder. In August, Josh Barnett re-entered the UFC with an impressive first-round TKO victory over Frank Mir. The former UFC Heavyweight Champion and star in the PRIDE and Strikeforce organizations looked to be on the cusp of title contention with a win over Browne. However, Hapa quickly put those hopes to rest and showed who the true contender is.
With his quick, savage victory on Saturday, Browne secured his third Knockout of the Night bonus in as many fights — his other two KOs were against Alistair Overeem and Gabriel Gonzaga. Three knockouts over three high-quality opponents puts Browne right in the title mix and he seized the opportunity in the post-fight interview by calling out Fabricio Werdum. Champion Cain Velasquez is recovering from surgery and there’s no timeline on his return yet, so a match between Browne and Werdum makes perfect sense right now, and Browne’s ability to deal with Barnett’s wrestling shows that he stands a fighting chance against Velasquez in the future.
The Bad
• Ronda Rousey looked great on Saturday night, Judo-throwing Meisha Tate all over the Octagon before finishing her off with her eight-straight armbar submission victory in professional competition. However, following the finish, Ronda was unable to let bygones be bygones and refused to shake Tate’s hand. This certainly wasn’t the first time Ronda refused to shake Tate’s hand. In fact, Ronda garnered significant press coverage for her poor attitude on The Ultimate Fighter. However, Rousey supporters could at least justify her behavior on TUF as being part of the reality show hype. On Saturday night, Rousey definitively beat Tate for the second time, essentially finishing their rivalry for good. UFC 168 offered Ronda the opportunity to bury the hatchet and show a certain amount of sportsmanship. Of course, nobody expected Ronda to completely forgive and forget whatever anger she harbors towards Tate, but she should have at least shown Tate the respect she deserved as a fellow competitor — and man, did the fans let her know it.
Ronda’s attitude gets people talking, which means more PPV buys and big bucks for the UFC. Nevertheless, Ronda once again came across as petty, unsportsmanlike, and childish. Those aren’t adjectives usually associated with a UFC champion. Don’t expect Ronda’s style to change anytime soon, though. Ronda seems content to ignore the boos and bad press in order to “keep it real.” A rumored “talking to” by the UFC brass likely won’t change that either, although we’ll probably see a classier Ronda in the lead-up to her recently announced fight against Sara McMann since there is no blood between the two former Olympians.
• The first ever TUF Featherweight winner, Diego Brandao, came out of the TUF house with a lot of hype and promise in a stacked division. However, he also entered the Octagon with a reputation for being a loose cannon, following altercations with Steven Siler and Marcus Brimage in the TUF house. A lot of fans were able to overlook his brash attitude because of his exciting style and nasty knockouts. His TUF Finale fight earned him $80,000 in bonuses and he endeared himself to fans by saying he’d use the money to buy his mother a house.
At UFC 168, Brandao reminded everybody of how much of an asshole he really can be. If missing weight by over five pounds weren’t disrespectful enough, Brandao also apparently told opponent Dustin Poirier at the weigh-ins that he was going to stab him in the neck. Stay classy, Brandao. So when Poirier disposed of Brandao quickly with an impressive first-round TKO, it seemed like karma might be catching up to Brandao. Despite missing weight, threatening to kill his opponent and losing in brutal fashion, Brandao won’t be cut from the UFC. He’s a TUF winner, an exciting fighter, and apparently he only missed weight because of a car accident a couple of weeks ago. Also, according to Dana White, he has other personal issues going on. Hopefully, Brandao gets his life sorted out soon. The whole crazy asshole shtick only works when you’re winning.
The Ugly
• Enough press has already been given to Anderson Silva’s gruesome leg break so not much needs to be said here. However, the Corey Hill-esque injury was an ugly incident and not for the faint of heart. It was devastating to see the former champion carried off on a stretcher, screaming in agony. The UFC has released a statement that Silva underwent successful surgery and, astoundingly, that his recovery would only take up to six months. That means we could see Silva back in the Octagon within a year. I hope not. The aging Spider would be riding a two-fight losing streak and it is unlikely he would return as the dominant fighter he once was. I hope he heals quickly and enjoys his retirement. It may be the end of an era, but it was perhaps the greatest era in the young sport’s history and Silva would be smart to end things at the right time.
• On a lighter note, the fight between John Howard and Siyar Bahadurzada featured what was apparently an ugly-sounding fart from one of the fighters. During the second round, the fart, clearly audible on the broadcast, lit up social media and created a lot of speculation about who was responsible. Asked about it after the fight, Howard admitted that there was indeed a fart, but he didn’t want to take any responsibility for it. It’s hard to blame him. There’s a short list of fighters like Tim Sylvia and Kevin Randleman who have lost control of their bodily functions in the Octagon and it’s not a distinction most fighters are chasing.
(Shogun vs. Sonnen/Dana White media scrum video, via KarynBryant.)
Uriah Hall isn’t the first TUF finalist to terrify his housemates and then fall apart as soon as a paying crowd is watching him. Remember when Vinny Magalhaes was (allegedly) the second coming of Royce Gracie? Or when TUF 8‘s lightweight finalist Phillipe Nover was supposed to be the next Anderson Silva? And when was the last time you heard the name “Tommy Speer“?
After two official fights in the Octagon, it’s looking like Hall may join the ranks of TUF‘s all-time greatest flashes-in-the-pan. Just ask UFC president Dana White, who verbally buried Hall following his decision loss to John Howard at UFC Fight Night 26, saying that Hall simply doesn’t have the mentality to be a fighter:
“I love Uriah Hall. I have a great relationship with this kid. He’s one of the nicest human beings you can ever meet. He’s not a fighter, man…If I could take Brad Pickett‘s brain and heart and put it inside Uriah Hall’s body, holy shit there’d be some damage done. Because Uriah Hall has all the physical attributes to be amazing. He’s got speed, he’s got power…he’s just unbelievable. He doesn’t have what it mentally takes to fight here. You know what I mean?
“That was the high-five competition. Listen, you’re a nice guy, I get it. We’re not here to fuckin’ high five, we’re not here to shake hands. You can do all that shit when the fight’s over. You’re here to fight.”
White wasn’t prepared to make any decisions about Hall’s future so soon after the fight, but later on during the media scrum, he dumped more hate on the affectionate nature of Howard vs. Hall (skip to the 6:50 mark of the vid):
(Shogun vs. Sonnen/Dana White media scrum video, via KarynBryant.)
Uriah Hall isn’t the first TUF finalist to terrify his housemates and then fall apart as soon as a paying crowd is watching him. Remember when Vinny Magalhaes was (allegedly) the second coming of Royce Gracie? Or when TUF 8‘s lightweight finalist Phillipe Nover was supposed to be the next Anderson Silva? And when was the last time you heard the name “Tommy Speer“?
After two official fights in the Octagon, it’s looking like Hall may join the ranks of TUF‘s all-time greatest flashes-in-the-pan. Just ask UFC president Dana White, who verbally buried Hall following his decision loss to John Howard at UFC Fight Night 26, saying that Hall simply doesn’t have the mentality to be a fighter:
“I love Uriah Hall. I have a great relationship with this kid. He’s one of the nicest human beings you can ever meet. He’s not a fighter, man…If I could take Brad Pickett‘s brain and heart and put it inside Uriah Hall’s body, holy shit there’d be some damage done. Because Uriah Hall has all the physical attributes to be amazing. He’s got speed, he’s got power…he’s just unbelievable. He doesn’t have what it mentally takes to fight here. You know what I mean?
“That was the high-five competition. Listen, you’re a nice guy, I get it. We’re not here to fuckin’ high five, we’re not here to shake hands. You can do all that shit when the fight’s over. You’re here to fight.”
White wasn’t prepared to make any decisions about Hall’s future so soon after the fight, but later on during the media scrum, he dumped more hate on the affectionate nature of Howard vs. Hall (skip to the 6:50 mark of the vid):
“[Howard] usually doesn’t fight that way. That’s not how he fights. It’s like, Uriah’s so nice, that he makes the other guy really nice. ‘This is a really nice guy, I really get the feeling that this guy doesn’t want to punch me in the face or do me any harm. I’ll high-five him. We’re both getting paid tonight, let’s just high five for three rounds if that’s what we’re gonna do.’ You know what I mean? You’ve seen that before, you’ve seen when guys get into that whole high-fiving thing and they kinda get…you’re in a fight. You’re here to use your martial arts to win this competition and move forward. You’re not here to high five and hug.
“That’s great, one of the things I love about this sport is the sportsmanship that is displayed sometimes before, during, and after a fight. But it gets to a point where it gets ridiculous. And that’s not what people are sitting home to watch, that’s not what people paid to come into this building to watch, two guys hug and high five for fifteen minutes.
“It’s a mental thing. He was this killer on TUF, and then he comes into the big show where it really matters and this is going to make your livelihood and everything else, and he turns into this different person — this super nice guy. He was telling me after the Kelvin [Gastelum] fight, he’s like, ‘You know, I just really like him, he’s a really nice guy.’ OK, well that really nice guy just took every fucking thing you ever wanted. Do you understand what I’m saying to you? Do you get that? Does that make sense to you? And I guess it doesn’t make sense to him.”
We didn’t appreciate all the lovey-doveyness during Howard/Hall either, but you have to admit — the match contained more “Oh shit, what if that landed??” moments than any other fight in UFC history. So what do you think of Dana’s assessment? Does Uriah Hall run into a mental block when the pressure’s on? Does he lack a true killer instinct? Or do his tricks simply not work against higher-level opponents?
On paper, UFC Fight Night 26 – or UFC on Fox Sports 1 1, or UFC Fight Night: Sonnen vs. Shogun, or whatever else people were calling this card – looked to be one of the strongest of the year. Usually those cards tend to be solid, but still fall a little short of the hype. This wasn’t one of those cards. All but one or two fights delivered in some form, often with jarring, violent finishes. It was all the UFC could have hoped for to cap off its run on Fox Sports’ new network.
Let’s start at the top; Chael Sonnen managed to control Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the majority of the first round before shocking everyone by finishing Shogun with a guillotine choke. For Sonnen, this was a big win; it legitimizes his jump to 205, and he managed to submit an opponent with very high level submission grappling ability. It also netted him an extra $50,000 for one of the UFC’s Submission of the Night bonuses. Now everyone from Lyoto Machida to Vitor Belfort is chomping at the bit to get a shot at him. He’ll probably move on to fight either one of them, or Wanderlei Silva in a gimme matchup. As for Shogun, he was eulogized elsewhere before the fight. The hard truth is he hasn’t been the fighter he was since his third knee surgery after the second Machida fight, and getting hammered by Jon Jones and Dan Henderson probably didn’t help matters. Getting finished by Sonnen in the first round is evidence of that. It’s not quite time to hang up the gloves, but that day is drawing ever nearer for the 31 year-old.
On a slightly more enjoyable note was the shocking ending to the Travis Browne-Alistair Overeem co-main event. Overeem held the edge in power and technique, and it showed from the beginning. Overeem hammered Browne with shots from all angles, but particularly knees to the midsection. Browne was dropped a number of times but was never out of it, always maintaining an intelligent, if not necessarily effective, defense. But Overeem, as he is wont to do, began to tire. As he plodded forward, Browne unleashed a front kick that, while lacking the snap found in Anderson Silva’s or Lyoto Machida’s, was still sufficient to drop Ubereem. Browne followed with hammerfists and Mario Yamasaki stepped in. It was slightly premature, though Overeem had no complaints.
On paper, UFC Fight Night 26 – or UFC on Fox Sports 1 1, or UFC Fight Night: Sonnen vs. Shogun, or whatever else people were calling this card – looked to be one of the strongest of the year. Usually those cards tend to be solid, but still fall a little short of the hype. This wasn’t one of those cards. All but one or two fights delivered in some form, often with jarring, violent finishes. It was all the UFC could have hoped for to cap off its run on Fox Sports’ new network.
Let’s start at the top; Chael Sonnen managed to control Mauricio “Shogun” Rua for the majority of the first round before shocking everyone by finishing Shogun with a guillotine choke. For Sonnen, this was a big win; it legitimizes his jump to 205, and he managed to submit an opponent with very high level submission grappling ability. It also netted him an extra $50,000 for one of the UFC’s Submission of the Night bonuses. Now everyone from Lyoto Machida to Vitor Belfort is chomping at the bit to get a shot at him. He’ll probably move on to fight either one of them, or Wanderlei Silva in a gimme matchup. As for Shogun, he was eulogized elsewhere before the fight. The hard truth is he hasn’t been the fighter he was since his third knee surgery after the second Machida fight, and getting hammered by Jon Jones and Dan Henderson probably didn’t help matters. Getting finished by Sonnen in the first round is evidence of that. It’s not quite time to hang up the gloves, but that day is drawing ever nearer for the 31 year-old.
On a slightly more enjoyable note was the shocking ending to the Travis Browne-Alistair Overeem co-main event. Overeem held the edge in power and technique, and it showed from the beginning. Overeem hammered Browne with shots from all angles, but particularly knees to the midsection. Browne was dropped a number of times but was never out of it, always maintaining an intelligent, if not necessarily effective, defense. But Overeem, as he is wont to do, began to tire. As he plodded forward, Browne unleashed a front kick that, while lacking the snap found in Anderson Silva’s or Lyoto Machida’s, was still sufficient to drop Ubereem. Browne followed with hammerfists and Mario Yamasaki stepped in. It was slightly premature, though Overeem had no complaints.
There have been people who said Overeem paid for disrespecting his opponent again. That’s not true; Overeem has a history of gassing himself out and being unable to handle getting hit[Ed. Note, Part 1: I’m not saying…]. This is merely the latest manifestation of those flaws, which are exacerbated by fighting well above his natural weight [Ed. Note, Part 2: …I’m just saying – SF]. At this point, he’s one of the UFC’s most spectacular busts (but not the only one on this card!) with a drug bust and two consecutive KO losses. He’ll get one more chance to redeem himself, but I wouldn’t hold out hope for a title run in his tenure. As for Browne, the man can take a beating. That said, Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos won’t be so likely to let him off the hook should he face them. He’s got work to do as well. But I bet those ribs of his feel better after winning one of the UFC’s two KO of the Night bonuses.
Urijah Faber proved yet again why he’s one of the best fighters in history – perhaps the best – to never hold UFC gold. Despite getting mounted by Iuri Alcantara within ten seconds of the first round, Faber maintained his poise and battle through submission attempts and back mount before gaining top position and raining elbows from the guard. From there on, it was all Faber. Alcanatara was a very legitimate opponent, but he simply couldn’t match Faber’s pace, wrestling and scrambling abilities. There are few who can. Another Faber title shot is probably as inevitable as the sun rising.
In what promised to be the Battle of the Gritty White Dudes, Matt Brown ended Mike Pyle’s night in under a minute. After dropping Pyle with a right to the temple, Brown unloaded on his adversary with brutal rights as he stood over him, separating Pyle from his senses and winning the other KO of the Night bonus. Brown, on a six-fight win streak with virtually every fight being eminently watchable, called out GSP after the fight. He’s not quite there yet, but give him the winner of Condit-Kampmann and we’ll see how he handles himself there. Pyle, on the other hand, has never quite managed to translate his fearsome gym reputation into the octagon. It’s unfortunate, and at 37, it’s unlikely to change at this point. Still, he’s talented enough to hang around for a while longer.
I mentioned Overeem wasn’t the only bust on this card. Well, the other honor belongs to TUF 17 sensation – and, as many people seem to forget, runner up – Uriah Hall. After a decent first round against late replacement John Howard, who is a natural welterweight, Hall seemed to fade. Not as a byproduct of conditioning so much as dismay stemming from the fact that his opponent simply wasn’t going to be intimidated. As a result, Hall simply seemed to withdraw into himself. There were rare moments of brilliance, such as when he almost took Howard’s back in the second round, but by and large he allowed Howard to push the pace and land shots. As a result, he deservedly lost a split decision in a relatively dull fight – perhaps the only one on the card – and will undoubtedly face the ire of the UFC should he lose again. His back’s against the wall, and if his fights are any indication, he might not respond too well to that
Finally, Michael Johnson showed improved striking in dispatching a sluggish Joe Lauzon. Lauzon was dropped twice in the first round and never seemed to figure out Johnson. Faced with a superior striker, he made no real effort to drag the fight to the ground, even as Johnson began to tire later in the fight. It wasn’t his best performance to say the least, but it was just the opposite for the mercurial Johnson. Johnson’s always been inconsistent as a fighter, but the overall trend of his fights show that he’s been improving. If he can maintain the level he showed last night – and avoid the ground at all costs – he’s got the ability to go places.
Just to touch on the preliminary card, Michael McDonald and Brad Pickett won fight of the night for their brutal two round scrap. McDonald scored a 10-8 first round, dropping Pickett multiple times. It’s a testament to Pickett’s toughness that he made it to the second, and a testament to McDonald’s mental toughness that he didn’t let that dissuade him. A bit fatigued, though, he found himself losing the second round to Pickett, on his back. In the blink of an eye, the tables turned as McDonald snatched a triangle choke from nowhere and, after some maneuvering, secured the tap and one Submission of the Night bonus as well. He’s a thought; have him go toe-to-toe with Uriah Faber.
Other than that, Conor McGregor had an excellent showing against Max Holloway, but possibly blew out his knee in the process. Hopefully not; the hype behind the man is, by all appearances, justified. Steven Siler scored a brutal knockout of former WEC Champion Mike Brown. And Diego Brandao managed to win an entertaining but progressively slow fight, living up to his reputation as someone who tends to gas after round one.
From top to bottom, almost every fight on this card delivered in some fashion. The decisions were exciting, the finishes were violent and shocking. The production was, by and large, professional and streamlined. Granted, we didn’t have Goldberg bellowing “IT IS ALLLLLL OVER!”, but maybe that’s something you need to ease a network audience into over time. All in all, this was the card the UFC wanted to have for its debut on Fox Sports 1, and it could not have gone better.
(Personally, I’d stay away from any mortgage service that advertises on Chael Sonnen’s butt-cheeks, but hey, that’s just me. / Photo via MMAFighting.com)
Handling the main card play-by-play for the UFC’s return to Boston is our man Oliver Chan (aka “O Chan”), who will be hand-delivering “UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen” live results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and keep the conversation poppin’ in the comments section. Thanks for being here.
(Personally, I’d stay away from any mortgage service that advertises on Chael Sonnen’s butt-cheeks, but hey, that’s just me. / Photo via MMAFighting.com)
Handling the main card play-by-play for the UFC’s return to Boston is our man Oliver Chan (aka “O Chan”), who will be hand-delivering “UFC Fight Night: Shogun vs. Sonnen” live results after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and keep the conversation poppin’ in the comments section. Thanks for being here.
Please stand by…
Ladies and Gentlemen, Worcester Mass’s very own Oliver “Double Bacon Cheese” Chan returns to his hometown for FS1′s UFC Debut. And by return home, I mean on my buddy’s couch watching it in Brooklyn. But I digress… Already we’ve seen some great fights on the prelims, some sick camera angles, Vegas odds, new real-time fight stats, and a :50 second knockout that made me feel dizzy… I don’t know about you, but I’m giddy.
Here’s what we’ve seen thus far:
James Vick def. Ramsey Njem (guillotine, Rd 1 at 0:58)
Ovince St. Preux def. Cody Donovan (KO, Rd 1 at 2:07)
Manvel Gamburyan def. Cole Miller (UD, 30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Diego Brandao def. Daniel Pineda (UD, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Steven Siler def. Mike Brown (KO, Rd 1 0:50)
Conor McGregor def. Max Holloway (UD, 30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Michael McDonald def. Brad Pickett (Triangle Choke, Rd 2 3:43)
Now let’s get to the good stuff shall we? Leading off the main card is Joe Lauzon (who has a striking resemblance to Nick Stahl from Sin City) taking on TUF alumnus, Michael Johnson.
My prediction: Lauzon 3rd round submission arm-bar
My buddy’s: Lauzon 2rd round submission Rear-Naked
Joe Lauzon vs. Michael Johnson
Rd. 1
Johnson and Lauzon square off trading jabs and low kicks. Both guys circle around the enter of the Octagon.
Johnson lands a hard left to Lauzon. He goes down, but gets up. He’s still dazed, a bit wobbly and looking to take Johnson to the ground. Johnson is aggressive with his follow-up, but Lauzon recovers. Stat tracker shows Lauzon is just being picked apart by Johnson on the striking department.
Johnson’s combos is just too much for Lauzon. Johnson knocks Lauzon down again! Lauzon wants Johnson in the guard, but Johnson doesn’t want that. Johnson continues to t-off on Lauzon knocking him down again and J-Lau is saved by the bell.
My call: 10-9 Johnson
Rd. 2 More circling and squaring off. J-Lau works Johnson against the cage. Johnson gets away and the two continue circling. J-Lau controls the center of the Octagon. J-Lau looks to have Johnson on the run, but Johnson quickly counters with some tight combinations. Johnson gets J-Lau against the cage and grinds it out. J-Lau pushes it off. Johnson is starting to look a bit gassed out. The two trade a few more on the center of the ring. MJ takes down J-Lau and gets some GnP against the cage. He might have sealed up that round with the take-down.
My call: 10-9 Johnson
Rd. 3 Third round starts with MJ circling around J-Lau in the center of the cage. Johnson throws some combos and leg-kicks. MJ is starting to pick apart J-Lau with the combos. Failed take-down attempt by J-Lau. MJ is just picking J-Lau apart with quick jabs. J-Lau really needs to step it and get the finish if he wants the win. Johnson has almost doubled J-Lau’s strikes. With 30 seconds left, Johnson gets J-Lau on his back and gets some more GnP from J-Lau’s guard.
My call: MJ 10-9
Official Decision coming up…
Official Decision
30-27, 30-27 and 30-25 in favor of Michael Johnson
Buddy’s quote of the night: “Howard is so hood, you got to wonder how he started Muay-Thai? He got no tooth!!”
John Howard vs. Uriah Hall
Howard has an excellent beard. I want one. Well, I want the ability to grow a beard, but I want that too. Our ref is Mario Yamasaki
My call: Doomsday by UD
My buddy’s: Hall First Round KO
Rd. 1
Uriah hall immediately goes for the take-down. Interesting move from a fight we thought would be stand-up. Uriah hall lets Howard stand. Hall is noticeably taller than Howard. Howard throws a nice leg-kick. Hall answers with some tight jabs. Uriah with a spinning round-house that Howard ducks. Howard tries to get inside, but Hall holds pushes him back.
The two square off a bit more and circle each other. Howard gets Hall with a nice shot and pins Hall against the cage. Hall reverses and goes for a take-down. Doomsday throws some punches while against the cage. The two engage in some dirty boxing.
They separate and Doomsday throws another powerful leg-kick and Hall answers with a knee. Hall goes for a take-down, Howard defends and goes for a single. Hall is pinned against the cage. Hall throws a knee and escapes. Hall goes for a spinning heel-kick and wiffs. Round ends.
Hall 10-9, but it was close.
Rd. 2
They touch gloves and we’re on. Hall throws some nice left-kick combos. Hall is doing a great job managing the distance. Hall goes for the take-down and Doomsday gets Hall in a guillotine. Hall gets out and Howard throws a nice combo. Doomsday has taken control of the pace and now has Hall pinned against the cage and works the take-down.
Hall reverses and now has Doomsday against the cage. Mario separates them and they square away. Doomsday catches Hall’s knee and works the single leg with Hall against the cage.
Hall goes for the Kimura and is the two scramble up. Hall has control of Doomsday’s back. Howard is now looking for the kimura and now Doomsday has Hall on the run. Howard gets the take-down away from the cage and starts work some rabbit punches and now strong body-shots. Howard looks to pass the guard and really lands some hard shots.
Round ends, Howard took that one 10-9.
Rd. 3 The two touch gloves and here we go! Hall goes for a take-down, but Doomsday shrugs it of. Howard wifs on a leg-kick and Hall goes for a fancy spinning kick, but doesn’t really connect. Doomsday goes for the overhand left, but Hall blocks. Doomsday goes for a take-down, but Hall shrugs it of. Hall connects with a nice knee. Hall goes for a take-down and has Doomsday against the cage. Doomsday throws some light punches against Hall while against the cage. Mario separates them.
They touch gloves and square off again. Head-kicked blocked by Doomsday. Hall gets taken down and has Doomsday in the halfguard. Hall gets to his knees. They get to the feet, Doomsday has control of Howard’s back. He’s got the right hook in, but Hall gets Doomsday against the cage and takes him down. Doomday gets up and Hall has his back. They separate and Doomsday starts riling up the crowd and now they both agree to just stand-up (I’m guessing). Hall gets for some weird spin kicking thing, Doomsday does that Hendo diving punch on Bisping thing… and now the two start bro-ing out.
Another close round, I’m going with my home-town guy, 10-9, but I’m thinking either way, we’re looking at a split-decision.
Official Decision 30-27 Howard, 29-28 Hall, 29-28 Howard
I called it. Welcome back Doomsday.
Next up, we got a guy with a mullet and a guy who will F-you up if you screw with his dip. We got Mike Pyle vs. Matt Brown. This is so red-neck I feel the need for some Skoal, Skynard, and ‘Shine… Moonshine.
Quick observation, this “World’s End Movie”… Is this the same thing as “Shaun of the Dead”, but with aliens instead of zombies.
Brown chases Pyle with some strong strikes and knocks Pyle down. He gets one shot in and Pyle is OUT. A few extra shots and it’s all over. Hell of a KO by Brown.
Well then, hope you didn’t blink.
Official Decision Matt Brown, 1st Round KO at 0:29. And Brown says Pyle is better tan GSP… Interesting. Rogan doesn’t buy it. Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion, but you don’t knock a dude out in :30 and say he’s better than the current Welterweight champ… That’s just my opinion.
And there’s Shawn Thorton. He’s a Boston Bruin. He’s awesome.
Shameless plug by Oscar De La Hoya where I think he’s really trying hard to think boxing and cardio-boxing can co-exist.
My prediction Yuri by 3rd Rd RNC
Buddy’s Prediction: Faber by UD
Rd. 1
They touch gloves and we’re on. Faber charges and Yuri counters with a nice judo toss. Gets the mount and works the arm-bar . Faber loos for the leg-lock Yuri takes Faber’s back, both hooks in and throwing some nice effective strikes. Faber canot escape the back. Yuri is just working Faber. Faber throwing punches while watching himself on the screen (Patrick Batemen reference). Faber cannot escape from the back control. Yuri tries to attack Fabers arm.
Faber gets up and slams Yuri down. Yuri working the triangle. Faber passes tinto the third guard. Staples Yuri’s right leg and works some GnP. Yuri tries to sweep, but Faber maintains the position and drops bombs. Yuri recovers the full-guard. More GnP by Faber. Here is the U-S-A Chants… Yep, it’s Boston. I got nothing.
Yuri looks to control Faber from the guard, but Faber is still able to land some strong shots.
Faber stole that round in the end, 10-9
Rd. 2
The two go right at it. Interesting back-roll by Faber, he recovers and Faber is able to take down Yuri and is in Yuri’s guard against the cage.
Faber looks to pass the guard. Yuri eats a knee to the chest. Faber in the half-guard looks for the guillotine. Yuri replaces the guard. Faber grinding into Yuri. Faber gets some elbows in. This is text-book ground and pound, folks. Faber stands up and passes the guard. He starts working guillotine again. Thus far Faber has out-strucken (is that a word) Yuri 37-1.
While in the half-guard Faber is throwing some strong elbows and stronger punches. Yuri gets up, but Faber is looking for a Judo takedown. Faber has Yuri against the cage, they move away, Faber takes him down. Faber in the guard and continues with the GnP.
If this isn’t a 10-8 round Faber, then we need new judges.
Rd. 3 Faber fakes (?) a take down. He fakes another take-down and lands an overhand right. Little scramble, the two continue to square off. Faber doing some very Guida-esque dancing. He charges in but Yuri is able to defend. Yuri with a high kick and Faber blocks. Faber shoots for the take-down and Yuri sprawls out. The two continue to circle around.
Faber takes down Yuri. Yuri sweeps, but Faber maintains control and grinds Yuri against the cage while in the guard. Faber continues his GnP assault on Yuri. Yuri looks to control Faber’s left arm. Faber is able to stand up in Yuri’s open guard. Faber back in Yuri’s closed guard and continues to grind it out.
Yuri looking for the Oomaplata and Faber defends. Yuri transitions to the triangle and is back into the oomaplata hold. Faber steps over and butter-flies Yuri’s arms, he is able to escape and takes control of Yuri’s back and holds him down to end the round.
Solid attempt by Yuri to score a late-minute submission, but Faber has this one 10-9.
Official Decision Faber gets the UD (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Faber says he might have some jaw damage. But I’m sure the ladies still love him.
There’s Bob Kraft… Bob, let’s get another Super Bowl, it’s been a while.
My prediction: Overeem by 2 RD KO
Buddy’s prediction: Overeem by way of “horse-meat”
If Overeem loses, specifically gets KO’d, I think it’s safe to say we’ll probably see him fighting Anthony “Welterweight” Johnson at the WSOF
Rd. 1 Touch gloves and here we go. Overeem stalks and gets Brown against the cage with some knees to the body. Overeem controls Brown, but Brown is able to get Overeem back to the center.
Flying knee by Browne. Overeem goes for a guillotine attempt. Overem is getting some hard shots to Browne against the cage. Strong knee to the Browne. It looks like Overem got a knee to the the head with Browne’s knee down. They are both on the feet and Overeem works from the clinch getting solid knees to the body. Travis Brown is taking some devastating blows by Overeem.
Overeem gets a pretty sloppy take-down but Brown gets up. Browne goes for a couple front-kicks to the face. Overeem takes control of Browne against the cage. Another front-head kick by Browne. Browne goes for the spinning round-house, but misses. Browne has Overeem in the clinch, but is against the cage … Another front-kick and Overeem goes DOWN. Browne gets a couple shots in from the guard, but it is all over!!!!
For those of you who not watching… It looked like this. For those of you not with me right now, here’s our reaction.
Official Decision
Travis Brown 1st Round KO (4:08)
Browne shows much love to Boston.
So is this the last we’ll see of Overeem?
Ladies and gents, we’re coming up to our main-event of the evening.
My Prediction: Shogun 2nd round TKO
Buddy’s Prediction: Shogun 2nd round mounted guillotine
Chael Sonnen has a pink-ribbon on his shirt. If you Google Chael Sonnen and Cancer, you get a lot of articles about Lance Armstrong. Just a random fact I’ll put there.
Buffer is on FIRE tonight.
RD. 1 Herb Dean is our ref for the main-event.
No touch of gloves, Chael goes for the take-down and gets in Shogun’s half-guard. Shogun gets to the feet and gets Chael down and is in Chael’s butterfly guard. Chael has one butter fly-hook in and Shogun transitions into the half-guard. Chael goes for the guillotine. Shogun gets to his feet and the two clinch up.
Chael gets the take-down and works the GnP from the half-guard. Shogun is looking to sweep from the half. Chael flattens out Shoguns shoulders. Shogun works to get on his side. Chael continues to work some strikes. Shogun gets the butterfly hooks in. The Boo-birds are coming out… As always let’s see you guys do this.
Chael stands up Shogun goes for an upkick. Chael back in the half-guard and working the strikes. Chael continues to smother Shogun. Shogun works to his feet and Chael has a DEEP GUILLOTINE. Shogun is working the escape… HE TAPS!!! SHOGUN THE BJJ BLACKBELT TAPS!!!!!
Shogun is devastated that he tapped.
Quick observation, Chael has a Mortgage lender website as a sponsor… Do they really know who they are pairing their brand with?
Official Decision
Chael Sonnen wins by tapout via Guillotine (4:46)
Chael shows support for those fighting cancer (since Chael won via BJJ I only feel it appropriate to plug Nick Newell’s favorite charity TapCancerOut)… Shows some of his poetry skills… And as classic Chael does, calls out Wanderlie Silva in his classic fashion.
Despite what Deadspin says, this was a great night of fights. You go to Boston, you’re guaranteed a good show. My picks were pretty bad, but I still had fun doing this and hope you all did too.
Don’t forget to check back here for Condit vs. Kampman.
One of the most well-traveled journeymen in mixed martial arts will fight for the first time in 2014 at 
