Tag: Jon Jones

MMA: Is Now the Best Time to Be a Fan of Mixed Martial Arts?

The sport of mixed martial arts has come a long way from the days of belching commentators, fighters carrying the crucifix and “human cockfighting.” Fans who began to watch the sport within the last year or so are fortunate; now is perhaps the best tim…

The sport of mixed martial arts has come a long way from the days of belching commentators, fighters carrying the crucifix and “human cockfighting.” Fans who began to watch the sport within the last year or so are fortunate; now is perhaps the best time to be a fan of mixed martial arts.

Fans of the modern incarnation of mixed martial arts enjoy a newer, better form of the sport that has better athletes, better fights and is more popular.

While the fans of the old days certainly got to enjoy the amazing characters and “freakshow” type quality of the early events, the level of skill wasn’t extraordinary and there weren’t as many cards.

The sport eventually evolved from that low point and included athletes who cross-trained in several disciplines but were only masters of one aspect of fighting. Even with better competition and slightly more events, the sport was still on the fringes of society.

The sport underwent another change after this era with the rise of The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The UFC’s targeted demographic was enamored with the show and it helped to make the UFC a household name, not for negative reasons, but for positive ones.

As the show went on, the next generation of legends began to rise.

The sport continually evolved and grew more popular and that finally led us to the modern day. The UFC is a global company that has just signed a deal with the Fox network.

The stars have aligned for the sport of mixed martial arts, the UFC, and the fans; people who became fans within the last year or two don’t know how fortunate they were to have joined at this crucial juncture.

First, fans who have been watching recent events (and either just started watching MMA recently or have been watching all along) got to see the current generation of legends such as UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva perform at their peaks; they will remember them as the greats that they are.

Second, fans will not be forced to bear the weight of ideological baggage from the Pride vs. UFC debates of old. With only one clearly superior organization, debates such as that are over.

Third, fans have seen and will continue to see the rise of the next generation of fighters such as UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and UFC welterweight prospect Rory MacDonald.

Fourth, the fans will see the sport they love grow to unparalleled heights due to the recent deal with Fox.

Thus, if there was any time in the history of mixed martial arts to become a fan of the sport, it is unquestionably now. The sport is becoming not only a major sport, but something more…something that may shake the very foundations of the international sports world.

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 135 Fight Card: Early Betting Odds and Predictions

When UFC 135 rolls into Denver, it will be the first time they held an event there in nearly 16 years!Dana White said that they always wanted to go back to Denver but they wanted to do it the right way.  So what better way to do it than with the y…

When UFC 135 rolls into Denver, it will be the first time they held an event there in nearly 16 years!

Dana White said that they always wanted to go back to Denver but they wanted to do it the right way.  So what better way to do it than with the youngest champion in promotional history?

Jones is one of the most exciting fighters in the sport, and Rampage is one of the most intimidating fighters out there.

Then before that, you have former welterweight champion, Matt Hughes, facing off against one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, Diego Sanchez.

There are still a few fights left to be announced for this card, and not all of them have odds yet, but all the ones I found I put in here.

Here are early predictions and lines for UFC 135.

Begin Slideshow

Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua Details What Went Wrong in Jon Jones Fight


(Is there anyone who dislikes Shogun?)

In a blog posting he made today on ESPN.com, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua spoke for the first time about what he feels led to him losing his belt to Jon Jones at UFC 128 in March.

In spite of insinuations that his knee was bothering him and that he didn’t train properly for the bout as he seemed out of shape, Rua says it was simply a case of having a bad night and the fight not going his way.

“Really, in the Jones fight, what happened was I got hurt early on and I was having some trouble finding the right distance in the fight. I was also getting tired, and throwing leg kicks spends a lot of energy which is why I didn’t throw so many of them, and there was also the risk of being taken down; it was a combination of factors which stopped me from performing at my best,” he explained. “But whatever I did wrong in training for that fight, it doesn’t take Jones’s merits away and he was the better fighter that night. Some people think I was out of shape and are worried about my knees still being hurt after I had so much trouble with them. That isn’t the case — there’s nothing wrong with my knees, and they were 100 percent ready for that fight, as it was all cleared by the doctor. We made the biggest effort in doing my rehab as perfectly as possible and the UFC was kind enough to let me come back on a date that was proper to do it, according to the doctors. I have no injury excuses.”


(Is there anyone who dislikes Shogun?)

In a blog posting he made today on ESPN.com, former UFC light heavyweight champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua spoke for the first time about what he feels led to him losing his belt to Jon Jones at UFC 128 in March.

In spite of insinuations that his knee was bothering him and that he didn’t train properly for the bout as he seemed out of shape, Rua says it was simply a case of having a bad night and the fight not going his way.

“Really, in the Jones fight, what happened was I got hurt early on and I was having some trouble finding the right distance in the fight. I was also getting tired, and throwing leg kicks spends a lot of energy which is why I didn’t throw so many of them, and there was also the risk of being taken down; it was a combination of factors which stopped me from performing at my best,” he explained. “But whatever I did wrong in training for that fight, it doesn’t take Jones’s merits away and he was the better fighter that night. Some people think I was out of shape and are worried about my knees still being hurt after I had so much trouble with them. That isn’t the case — there’s nothing wrong with my knees, and they were 100 percent ready for that fight, as it was all cleared by the doctor. We made the biggest effort in doing my rehab as perfectly as possible and the UFC was kind enough to let me come back on a date that was proper to do it, according to the doctors. I have no injury excuses.”

He ponts out that it’s rare to go into a fight without any lingering injuries, no matter how minor, but says that heading into his UFC 134 bout with Forrest Griffin on August 27, he feels like he is 100 percent.

“As a professional fighter, you always have some injuries, even if they are minor. It’s impossible, or very rare, to go through a camp without any pain. Right now I’m 100 percent, without any injuries and ready to go, but we always have to work around pain and work around injuries, and as a fighter you are always trying to make the best of it.”

Tito Ortiz, take note. That’s how fighters should carry themselves — win or lose. Much like it is the case with Wanderlei Silva, it’s tough not to cheer for Shogun.

Rashad Evans Predicts Jones Will Beat Quinton Jackson at UFC 135

Rashad Evans was one of the fighters in attendance at a press conference regarding the UFC’s broadcasting deal with FOX network earlier this week.Evans, who is coming off a victory over Tito Ortiz at UFC 133, said he was happy about the new television …

Rashad Evans was one of the fighters in attendance at a press conference regarding the UFC’s broadcasting deal with FOX network earlier this week.

Evans, who is coming off a victory over Tito Ortiz at UFC 133, said he was happy about the new television deal and that it was an amazing opportunity. 

“Man, that’s a huge deal,” Evans told MMAWeekly.com.

“All you ever ask for as an athlete to compete, is to try to compete on the highest level that you can be on and to try and get the recognition that you feel that you need, and having the chance to fight on this network is amazing.”

Evans, who is recovering from thumb surgery, is now the No.1 contender and will meet the winner of the UFC light heavyweight title bout between Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC 135.

Regarding the upcoming bout, Evans predicts Jones will get a victory over Jackson.

“I think that (Jon) Jones is going to get this fight, just based on the fact he is the more well-rounded athlete at this point,” he said.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Oh, Snap! The Hand Injury Rashad Evans Suffered in His UFC 133 Win Over Tito Ortiz is Serious

(Video courtesy of YouTube/StocktonHeyBuddy)

Well, it looks like bad luck has struck against Rashad Evans again and the longtime number one UFC light heavyweight contender could once again miss out on another title shot.

Though he hid his injury well during today’s UFC/Fox press conference, Evans told TMZ last night that the cast he was wearing was protecting pins he had surgically inserted to hold his thumb in place while it heals from what UFC officials told the website is just a bad sprain he incurred in his UFC 133 win over Tito Ortiz. Rashad played the injury off as being no big deal and said it shouldn’t take long to heal, but he may be protecting his coveted title shot.


(Video courtesy of YouTube/StocktonHeyBuddy)

Well, it looks like bad luck has struck against Rashad Evans again and the longtime number one UFC light heavyweight contender could once again miss out on another title shot.

Though he hid his injury well during today’s UFC/Fox press conference, Evans told TMZ last night that the cast he was wearing was protecting pins he had surgically inserted to hold his thumb in place while it heals from what UFC officials told the website is just a bad sprain he incurred in his UFC 133 win over Tito Ortiz. Rashad played the injury off as being no big deal and said it shouldn’t take long to heal, but he may be protecting his coveted title shot.

Although the technique isn’t unheard of, typically pins aren’t used to stabilize a sprain. Such surgical procedures are usually reserved for breaks or fractures near the joint where there is a risk that movement could worsen the injury.

Here’s more on thumb fractures from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons:

“Surgery may be needed, depending on the location of the fracture and the amount of movement between the broken fragments of bone. The orthopaedic surgeon may use one of several operative fixation techniques to realign the bone fragments. These fragments must be held in place while the bone heals.

These techniques include devices that hold the bone fragments in place either inside the body (internal fixation) or outside the body (external fixation). Internal fixation techniques include the use of wire, pins, plates, and screws. External fixation techniques include the use of pins in bone that are held in place through their attachment to an external fixation device.

A cast or splint will be worn for two to six weeks after surgery. When the cast is removed, hand therapy may be recommended in order to restore movement. It can take three months or more to regain full use of the hand, depending on the severity of the injury.”

Six weeks of healing time would mean Evans would be starting rehab near the end of September if all goes well with healing. Best case scenario would see him ready to get back into the gym to train with both hands by mid to late October for a December return, possibly at UFC 140 in Toronto — that is if he doesn’t hit any other setbacks or suffer any other training injuries.

5 Fights That All UFC Fans Want to See

Over the last several years, Dana White has sent the sport of Ultimate Fighting through the roof. It has come to be one of the largest growing sports on the face of the earth. While we have witnessed some of the most spectacular fights of all time, as …

Over the last several years, Dana White has sent the sport of Ultimate Fighting through the roof. It has come to be one of the largest growing sports on the face of the earth. While we have witnessed some of the most spectacular fights of all time, as fans we still want more.

While the big issue of the fighter’s weight class comes into play, there are still fights we want to see. I am speaking on behalf of UFC fans when I reveal the five potential fights that fans are dying to see.

Please sit back and enjoy.

Begin Slideshow