After a six week layoff, the UFC finally returned with UFC on Fuel 2. The event featured eight of it’s 12 fights end by knockout or submission, as well as Sweden’s own Alexander Gustafsson picking up another win against the dangerous Thiago Silva….
After a six week layoff, the UFC finally returned with UFC on Fuel 2.
The event featured eight of it’s 12 fights end by knockout or submission, as well as Sweden’s own Alexander Gustafsson picking up another win against the dangerous Thiago Silva.
Along with Gustafsson’s win in front of his home crowd, other memorable moments from the night was Dennis Siver making his successful featherweight debut in a back and forth bout with Diego Nunes, powerful knockout victories for Brian Stann and Siyar Bahadurzada, and the huge amount of submission victories that took place.
Gustafsson’s performance may be the most important one in terms of rankings go though.
In less than a week, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will meet Rashad Evans at UFC 145.
The long awaited bout between both will be watched closely by tons of fans, including Gustafsson.
With his win against Silva, Gustafsson has won five straight and is now in position to seriously put his name in the mix for a title shot.
Depending on the outcome of next weekend’s title fight, and the role that Dan Henderson will play in determining who is next in line for a title, we could very well see Gustafsson in a title fight sooner than later.
Regardless of how soon Gustafsson will get a title shot, his performance in front of his home crowd, as well as the exciting finishes and matchups from the night’s event, was a great lead up to UFC 145.
Along with the highly anticipated title bout between Jones and Evans, rising welterweight-star Rory MacDonald will take on dangerous British star Che Mills.
Also featured on the card will be former WEC bantamweight champ Miguel Torres taking on young star Michael McDonald and Former TUF competitor Brendan Schaub taking on Big Ben Rothwell.
(“Not only am I paying Bones to wear UFC logos on his walkout gear next weekend, I also placed a $500,000 bet that he’d beat Rashad. Oh shit. I guess I shouldn’t have said that out loud.”)
“I’ve had a goal of being sponsored by Nike for many, many years. Part of our strategy to try and make that happen one day is to not be a billboard, and not just be sponsored by TapouT one week, and Affliction one week, and then MusclePharm next week, and all these random companies. If you realize, I try to look for relationships with companies, long lasting relationships with companies. So a part of my brand is to keep it clean. Less is more in my opinion.
When Form Athletics went down pretty much every company in the business was looking for an opportunity to work with me, and I was really honored just to be wanted like that. I thought it was really awesome, it was a real honor. We came up with a strategy to keep it clean and be sponsored by the UFC itself. I’m glad the UFC wanted to work with me as well, and I think that they trust that I’ll never make them look bad. You never have to worry about me with a DWI or doing something crazy.
(“Not only am I paying Bones to wear UFC logos on his walkout gear next weekend, I also placed a $500,000 bet that he’d beat Rashad. Oh shit. I guess I shouldn’t have said that out loud.”)
“I’ve had a goal of being sponsored by Nike for many, many years. Part of our strategy to try and make that happen one day is to not be a billboard, and not just be sponsored by TapouT one week, and Affliction one week, and then MusclePharm next week, and all these random companies. If you realize, I try to look for relationships with companies, long lasting relationships with companies. So a part of my brand is to keep it clean. Less is more in my opinion.
When Form Athletics went down pretty much every company in the business was looking for an opportunity to work with me, and I was really honored just to be wanted like that. I thought it was really awesome, it was a real honor. We came up with a strategy to keep it clean and be sponsored by the UFC itself. I’m glad the UFC wanted to work with me as well, and I think that they trust that I’ll never make them look bad. You never have to worry about me with a DWI or doing something crazy.
I think I’m a good company guy. The UFC asks me to do anything and I always do it, and I never tell them no for anything…They put in the deal that if any mainstream companies come after this win that they will let me go, and I think that’s awesome.”
As the MMAWeekly report puts it, “for his fight at UFC 145, Jones will be decked head to toe in UFC gear, pushing their brand instead of another company.” Interesting. I wonder how Rashad will feel that night, knowing he’s facing an official representative of the company. Still, I’d like to see the UFC directly sponsor more of their fighters — if only so we can get a better sense of who the promotion likes and doesn’t like.
UFC has just completed it’s second edition of UFC on Fuel and its first ever fight card in Sweden. Once again, the UFC knocked it out of the park. What a night of fights!So, now that the dust has settled, the burning question in everyone’s minds: How c…
UFC has just completed it’s second edition of UFC on Fuel and its first ever fight card in Sweden. Once again, the UFC knocked it out of the park. What a night of fights!
So, now that the dust has settled, the burning question in everyone’s minds: How close does his win over Thiago Silva put Alexander Gustafsson to a title shot?
Without question, Alexander Gustafsson is an up and coming talent at 205 lbs. Gustafsson, Ryan Bader, Phil Davis and probably Thiago Silva: These are the up-and-coming talents that are the cream of the crop of the rising Jon Jones generation of Light Heavyweight fighters.
The trouble is, none of this new generation of fighters has the tools it will take to beat the current champion, Jon Jones.
Mark my words, the man that beats Mr. Bones Jones will be some young phenom who we haven’t heard of yet.
And contrary to popular speculation, Jonny “Bones” Jones has absolutely no reason to leave the 205 lbs division anytime soon. Why leave when you’re the reigning champion? More importantly, if you are not yet the most dominant champion your division has ever seen, the job just ain’t done yet. Until Jones has at least six title defenses, don’t expect Jonny to fight anywhere outside of 205 lbs.
The hard truth is that Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida are the only real threats to Jon Jones right now. Any one of them will have to get lucky to beat Jones and all three are getting closer and closer to retirement.
So having said all that, does Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson get a shot at Jon Jones’ title?
Yes he does. Right now, Gustafsson is just one big win away from a title shot and here is your short list of names that would be big enough to make it happen: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson and ironically enough, a rematch with “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis.
Shogun and Machida are available, but I think Alexander would lose to either man. Avenging his only loss against Phil Davis would be the best option in my opinion, and that’s no easy fight either. If Gustafsson faces and beats any one of these three fighters, he gets to fight for the title.
That would put him next in line after Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson.
Barring an unexpected upset, Jon Jones will still be the reigning champion if and when it is Gustafsson’s turn to fight for the belt. That will be a very short night for “The Mauler.” Jones will likely finish him by brutal ground and pound or submission in the first round.
So why schedule the fight at all?
Just because we don’t think a fighter can beat the champion does not mean you don’t make the fight happen anyways. You never know when “the challenger who can’t possibly win” turns out to be the next Frankie Edgar or the next Cain Velasquez. If a fighter has earned a shot at the title, just schedule the fight and let the chips fall where they may.
After challenging Jon Jones for the title and getting beaten in devastating fashion, Mr. Gustafsson will fall back into the ranks of elite Light Heavyweights. Expect “The Mauler” play the same role as Shogun Rua did in Pride FC: The elite non-champion high octane fighter who puts on some of the most exciting fights the UFC has ever seen. Alexander is just 25 years old, so we can expect him to be a big name in the UFC for years to come.
UFC on Fuel TV 2 Live is in the books and the full results are below:Alexander Gustafsson defeats Thiago Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Brian Stann defeats Alessio Sakara via knockout at 2:26 of Round 1 Siyar Bahadurzada defeats Pau…
UFC on Fuel TV 2 Live is in the books and the full results are below:
Alexander Gustafsson defeats Thiago Silva via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Brian Stann defeats Alessio Sakara via knockout at 2:26 of Round 1
Siyar Bahadurzada defeats Paulo Thiago via knockout at 0:42 of Round 1
Dennis Siver defeats Diego Nunes via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
John Maguire defeats DaMarques Johnson via submission at 4:40 of Round 2
Brad Pickett defeats Damacio Page via submission at 4:05 of Round 2
James Head defeats Papy Abedi via submission at 4:44 of Round 1
Cyrille Diabate defeats Tom DeBlass via majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28)
Francis Carmont defeats Magnus Cedenblad via submission at 1:42 or Round 2
Reza Madadi defeats Yoislandy Izquierdo via submission at 1:28 of Round 2
Simeon Thoresen defeats Besam Yousef via submission at 2:36 of Round 2
Jason Young defeats Eric Wisely via unanimous decision (30-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Now that the Stockholm card is behind us, we can turn our attention to the first pay-per-view card the UFC has presented since February.
UFC 145 will take place on April 21, and in case you have forgotten, it will feature a main event that will see Jon Jones defend his UFC light heavyweight title against his former friend and teammate Rashad Evans.
Here are the questions we have heading into that fight card.
Jon Jones has already drawn comparisons to Muhammad Ali at this stage of his career.Jones has dominated the competition effortlessly and is already a world champion at a young age, much like the legendary boxer.However, the 24-year-old took it one step…
Jon Jones has already drawn comparisons to Muhammad Ali at this stage of his career.
Jones has dominated the competition effortlessly and is already a world champion at a young age, much like the legendary boxer.
However, the 24-year-old took it one step further when he said during a UFC 145 conference call that he hopes to create his own legacy and become better than Ali.
“I’m a huge fan of Muhammad Ali but I don’t want to be him. I want to the best Jon Jones. I want to be better than Ali,” Jones said. “If I don’t become greater than Muhammad Ali, that’s my own fault. That’s why I train so hard.”
Certainly Jones’ dominance has put him in a separate class above the rest of the light heavyweight division, but it has been his current title reign that has suddenly turned him into one of the company’s brightest stars.
Jones’ recent photo shoot for UFC Magazine saw the UFC light heavyweight champion training underwater, reminiscent of Ali’s iconic photograph.
The photo has changed some fans’ perception of Jones and he is aware of the added pressure that comes along with being the champion at this stage in his career, and comparing himself to Ali.
“It adds more pressure (the Ali photo shoot) but I consider it fun. Ali had many flaws in the person that he was but I loved Muhammad Ali,” he said.
Jones isn’t likely to receive much praise after his comment about Ali, considering he has been somewhat of a polarizing figure thus far with some fans.
For someone who wants to be accepted and denies accusations of being arrogant and cocky, Jones’ current image has not been very convincing.
And setting the bar so high at only 24 years old tells us either Jones is destined for greater success in his career or he is just beginning to show his true colors.
Since Jon Jones’s main clothing sponsor Form Athletics recently folded, opportunities for sponsors were likely countless. But of them, Jones has selected a new sponsor for his fight against Rashad Evans at UFC 145—the UFC. Yes, the UFC has …
Since Jon Jones’s main clothing sponsor Form Athletics recently folded, opportunities for sponsors were likely countless. But of them, Jones has selected a new sponsor for his fight against Rashad Evans at UFC 145—the UFC.
Yes, the UFC has decided to sponsor Jones, branding the fighter as their own in some oddly superfluous way. And while the challenger Evans will enter the ring as a man hungry for the belt and to end the bitter rivalry with a win, Jones will enter the ring likely dressed like a default character from a UFC video game.
Jones has responded openly to the new deal. According to MMAWeekly.com, Jones explains this opportunity as one that will allow him to keep his branding clean for the fight.
“We came up with a strategy to keep it clean and be sponsored by the UFC itself. I’m glad the UFC wanted to work with me as well, and I think that they trust that I’ll never make them look bad. You never have to worry about me with a DWI or doing something crazy.”
Jones also implied, perhaps without meaning to, that the UFC added its weight to the decision.
“I think I’m a good company guy. The UFC asks me to do anything and I always do it, and I never tell them no for anything. I’ve had to do more marketing than any other fighter because I say no to absolutely nothing. I don’t think most champs are like that.”
Of course, the UFC has every right to brand any of their fighters. Not only do they cut the checks, but they have numerous other marketing lines, including licensed gyms and, of course, merchandise.
Looking solely at the elements of such a decision, this doesn’t appear negative. The UFC sponsoring one of its fighters for one fight doesn’t mean a whole lot (even the UFC needs its marketing, even if this is hanging a picture of itself in its own office). It also helps Jones avoid worrying about searching for a solid contract in the midst of preparing for this event, leaving him more time for training, Twitter wars and side-by-side interviews with Evans.
Taken all together, however, this sponsorship is slightly disconcerting. Given Jones’s status, it’s likely he’d have the power to quickly and painlessly get whatever one-time contract he needed. Such a sponsorship is especially telling in a relationship between these fighters. It stilts the current rivalry, making it a bit harder to consider an organic war of history and personality. By now, the feud seems to include equal parts Jones, Evans and the UFC.
Nevertheless, it does make Evans that much more of an underdog by pitting him, if only symbolically, against a powerful and more visible opponent. When the event was already this exciting, such an excessive move simply raises the stakes for everyone involved, which is always welcome.
After a six week layoff, the UFC finally returned with UFC on Fuel 2. 