We’re just one day out from watching knockout artist Jordan Mein take on the resurgent Matt Brown in a bout that appears to have an end of the night bonus all but locked up. Even though Mein is stepping in to fight on short notice, his impressive knockout over Dan Miller during his UFC debut last month has helped make him a 3-1 favorite to win. While we personally think that Brown has a better shot at winning than the oddsmakers are giving him, we wouldn’t be surprised if Mein picked up his eighteenth first round stoppage tomorrow night, either.
What would surprise us is if “The Immortal” got starched as quickly as Hollis Huggins did when he fought Jordan Mein back in 2008. At the time, Huggins was a former minor league football running back who transitioned from being one of the more competent semi-pro footballers to being a horrifically incompetent semi-pro fighter. Huggins spent the first fifteen or so seconds leading with his head while holding his hands around his nipples in a manner that suggested he didn’t realize that Mein was allowed to throw the head kick that should have ended the fight. It took a few completely unnecessary follow-up punches for the referee to finally waive off the action just twenty seconds into the first round.
Video is after the jump
We’re just one day out from watching knockout artist Jordan Mein take on the resurgent Matt Brown in a bout that appears to have an end of the night bonus all but locked up. Even though Mein is stepping in to fight on short notice, his impressive knockout over Dan Miller during his UFC debut last month has helped make him a 3-1 favorite to win. While we personally think that Brown has a better shot at winning than the oddsmakers are giving him, we wouldn’t be surprised if Mein picked up his eighteenth first round stoppage tomorrow night, either.
What would surprise us is if “The Immortal” got starched as quickly as Hollis Huggins did when he fought Jordan Mein back in 2008. At the time, Huggins was a former minor league football running back who transitioned from being one of the more competent semi-pro footballers to being a horrifically incompetent semi-pro fighter. Huggins spent the first fifteen or so seconds leading with his head while holding his hands around his nipples in a manner that suggested he didn’t realize that Mein was allowed to throw the head kick that should have ended the fight. It took a few completely unnecessary follow-up punches for the referee to finally waive off the action just twenty seconds into the first round.
Since that fight, things have played out predictably. Mein would continue to absolutely terrorize hapless foes, but this fight remains his quickest victory during his professional career. Huggins, meanwhile, would go on to lose six more times and retire from MMA with an 0-9 record (although to be fair, MixedMartialArts.com has him at 2-11), with all loses coming by stoppage; most of them in the first round. Sorry, bro: You are not the next Bo Jackson.
As we pointed out on Facebook earlier today, the entire main card of this Saturday’s UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Melendez event features a UFC veteran taking on a former Strikeforce standout. What’s more, there are four fights on the prelims that fit this same pattern. While the UFC has set up cards along national lines in the past — see UFC 58: USA vs. Canada and UFC 117: USA vs. Brazil, Pretty Much they’ve never been this overt with their UFC vs. Strikeforce matchmaking. Will the UFC vets fight harder in an attempt to defend their turf? Will the Strikeforce crossovers band together to continue their invasion of the Octagon? Take a look at all eight matchups below and let us know which side you think will emerge victorious.
BENSON HENDERSON vs. GILBERT MELENDEZ(for UFC lightweight title) The odds say: Bendo is a strong favorite to defend his belt at -250.
We say: When you put this much talent into the cage at the same time, anything can happen. But while we think this fight will be closer than the betting line reflects, there’s been an unbreakable, unstoppable quality to Henderson’s performances during his 6-0 UFC run. Until we see how Melendez actually performs in the Octagon, we’re picking the champ.
FRANK MIR vs. DANIEL CORMIER (HW) The odds say: Cormier is a virtual lock at -375.
We say: That sounds about right. Cormier has all the skills to be a future UFC champ, and barring any freakish leglocks, Frank Mir is just a stop along the way.
As we pointed out on Facebook earlier today, the entire main card of this Saturday’s UFC on FOX: Henderson vs. Melendez event features a UFC veteran taking on a former Strikeforce standout. What’s more, there are four fights on the prelims that fit this same pattern. While the UFC has set up cards along national lines in the past — see UFC 58: USA vs. Canada and UFC 117: USA vs. Brazil, Pretty Much they’ve never been this overt with their UFC vs. Strikeforce matchmaking. Will the UFC vets fight harder in an attempt to defend their turf? Will the Strikeforce crossovers band together to continue their invasion of the Octagon? Take a look at all eight matchups below and let us know which side you think will emerge victorious.
BENSON HENDERSON vs. GILBERT MELENDEZ(for UFC lightweight title) The odds say: Bendo is a strong favorite to defend his belt at -250.
We say: When you put this much talent into the cage at the same time, anything can happen. But while we think this fight will be closer than the betting line reflects, there’s been an unbreakable, unstoppable quality to Henderson’s performances during his 6-0 UFC run. Until we see how Melendez actually performs in the Octagon, we’re picking the champ.
FRANK MIR vs. DANIEL CORMIER (HW) The odds say: Cormier is a virtual lock at -375.
We say: That sounds about right. Cormier has all the skills to be a future UFC champ, and barring any freakish leglocks, Frank Mir is just a stop along the way.
NATE DIAZ vs. JOSH THOMSON (LW) The odds say: Diaz is a solid -175 favorite against the Punk.
We say: If Thomson proved anything during his trilogy against Gilbert Melendez, it’s that he doesn’t wilt under pressure — which is a good thing, because Diaz knows how to pressure a motherfucker. I say Nate wins enough of the standup exchanges to cruise to a decision victory.
MATT BROWN vs. JORDAN MEIN (WW) The odds say: Jordan Mein is a -335 favorite to win the fight and end Brown’s career comeback.
We say: Alright, we’re cheating a bit here — Mein already made his UFC debut in March, when he became the first man to stop Dan Miller at UFC 158. Now, he’s returning on a month’s notice as an injury replacement for Dan Hardy. Mein’s recent performances have been enough to make the 23-year-old Canadian a front-runner in this fight. (Remember his annihilations of Evangelista Santos and Forrest Petz?) But don’t sleep on the Immortal. He’s always been a tough bastard, and now that he’s fighting smart, everything seems to be falling into place; his current four-fight win streak includes a knockout of Mike Swick and an upset win over another hot prospect, Stephen Thompson. We’ll take Brown for the upset.
FRANCIS CARMONT vs. LORENZ LARKIN (MW) The odds say: Carmont has a slight edge at -130.
We say: Tough call, but I’m leaning towards Carmont, if only because he’s had four fights to get comfortable in the UFC. (He’s won all four of those fights, by the way.) Larkin hasn’t competed since his decision win over Robbie Lawler last July, and while that was an impressive performance, the long layoff and first-time Octagon jitters might be enough to sink him.
TIM MEANS vs. JORGE MASVIDAL (LW) The odds say: Masvidal is another small favorite at -135.
We say: Tim Means is 2-0 in the UFC — or 2-1 if you include his TKO loss to that sauna — and is on a nine-fight win streak overall, but his victories haven’t exactly come against top-shelf competition. Meanwhile, Masvidal has battled (and beaten) some of the very best during his decade-long career. We’ll agree with the oddsmakers and put our money on Gamebred.
ANTHONY NJOKUANI vs. ROGER BOWLING (LW) The odds say: Njokuani is the favorite at -155.
We say: It’s a fight between a talented striker who’s been woefully inconsistent over the past three years, and another talented striker whose hype fizzled out in Strikeforce after losses to Bobby Voelker and Tarec Saffiedine. Both fighters do best when they take charge early. Again, I think UFC experience will probably be the deciding factor; Njokuani will bully Bowling to a decision win.
CLIFFORD STARKS vs. YOEL ROMERO (MW) The odds say: -150 edge for Romero.
We say: Yoel Romero is that Cuban Olympic silver medalist who was matched up with Rafael Cavalcante way too early in his career and got crushed. Starks also comes from a wrestling background — and was a teammate of Cain Velasquez at Arizona State University — but has been inactive since a submission loss to Ed Herman at UFC 143 in February 2012. Starks’s long layoff is definitely cause for concern, as is Romero’s world-class wrestling pedigree. Gotta go with Yoel.
Final prediction: The UFC vets will outgun their Strikeforce counterparts, winning by a score of 5-3. If you see if differently, let us know in the comments section.
And being that Mein was able to come away from the fight practically untouched, it was announced earlier today that “Young Gun” will now being making a quick turnaround against Matt Brown at UFC on FOX 7, as Brown’s original opponent, Dan Hardy, has been forced to withdraw from the fight due to injury. Barns, they will be burned.
So, Potato Nation, do you have Mein by murder or Brown by…murder?
[UPDATE]
Turns out Hardy wasn’t injured; he was not given medical clearance for the fight due to a pre-existing condition. Hardy gives us the details via his Twitter after the jump.
And being that Mein was able to come away from the fight practically untouched, it was announced earlier today that “Young Gun” will now being making a quick turnaround against Matt Brown at UFC on FOX 7, as Brown’s original opponent, Dan Hardy, has been forced to withdraw from the fight due to injury. Barns, they will be burned.
So, Potato Nation, do you have Mein by murder or Brown by…murder?
[UPDATE]
Turns out Hardy wasn’t injured; he was not given medical clearance for the fight due to a pre-existing condition. Hardy gives us the details via his Twitter after the jump.
Mein looks to continue his winning ways in UFC debut. Props: MMAMadhouse.com
Jordan Mein (26-8) has put together an excellent record on smaller shows, losing only to Tyron Woodley by split decision and beating the likes of Forrest Petz, and has gotten a call up to the big leagues at UFC 158. Unfortunately for him, he’s drawn one of the toughest outs in MMA – Dan Miller, as his UFC debut fight. The UFC announced the fight last week.
The match up for the Montreal card, headlined by Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz, is yet another welterweight one that totally probably doesn’t mean that Dana White is nervous he’ll have to do match up musical chairs again like he did at UFC 137 when Diaz and GSP’s ACL decided to gunk everything up. UFC 158 ain’t going to be all welterweights, though.
Mein looks to continue his winning ways in UFC debut. Props: MMAMadhouse.com
Jordan Mein (26-8) has put together an excellent record on smaller shows, losing only to Tyron Woodley by split decision and beating the likes of Forrest Petz, and has gotten a call up to the big leagues at UFC 158. Unfortunately for him, he’s drawn one of the toughest outs in MMA – Dan Miller, as his UFC debut fight. The UFC announced the fight last week.
The match up for the Montreal card, headlined by Georges St. Pierre vs. Nick Diaz, is yet another welterweight one that totally probably doesn’t mean that Dana White is nervous he’ll have to do match up musical chairs again like he did at UFC 137 when Diaz and GSP’s ACL decided to gunk everything up. UFC 158 ain’t going to be all welterweights, though.
TUF 15 vet and Detroit heart throb Daron Cruickshank will face John Makdessi. The two lightweights are both coming off of wins as Makdessi gets to fight in his home country once more.
You guys remember when Jordan Meinelbow-raped Evangelista Santos like a God damned Papau New Guinea savage back at Strikeforce: Kharitonov vs. Barnett? Well, he did the same thing again last weekend to Forrest Petz, who is kind of like the poor man’s Jay Hieron, meaning that he is damn near flawless on the local circuit, yet falls apart every time we see him under the bright lights. To be fair, Petz can actually claim a UFC victory under his belt (he’s actually 2-5 lifetime), but Jordan Mein gives not a shit about where you’ve been. He only cares about where you are going to be, which, should you decided to scrap with him, will be crumpled against the cage beneath a hellstorm of elbows that would send Kenny Florian into a jealous, baby-kicking tantrum.
Not unlike Sensodyne’s rapport with American dentists, 9 out of Mein’s last 10 opponents would recommend him to anyone seeking to get their ass kicked. Now that he’s managed to successfully separate himself from Strikeforce’s sinking ship, how long do you think it will be until we see this kid in the UFC?
You guys remember when Jordan Meinelbow-raped Evangelista Santos like a God damned Papau New Guinea savage back at Strikeforce: Kharitonov vs. Barnett? Well, he did the same thing again last weekend to Forrest Petz, who is kind of like the poor man’s Jay Hieron, meaning that he is damn near flawless on the local circuit, yet falls apart every time we see him under the bright lights. To be fair, Petz can actually claim a UFC victory under his belt (he’s actually 2-5 lifetime), but Jordan Mein gives not a shit about where you’ve been. He only cares about where you are going to be, which, should you decided to scrap with him, will be crumpled against the cage beneath a hellstorm of elbows that would send Kenny Florian into a jealous, baby-kicking tantrum.
Not unlike Sensodyne’s rapport with American dentists, 9 out of Mein’s last 10 opponents would recommend him to anyone seeking to get their ass kicked. Now that he’s managed to successfully separate himself from Strikeforce’s sinking ship, how long do you think it will be until we see this kid in the UFC?
I fully expect tonight’s liveblog turnout to be more of an “intimate” affair, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do our best to give you a good show. Round-by-round results from the “Rockhold vs. Jardine” main card broadcast will be piling up after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET, courtesy of CagePotato liveblog up-and-comer Steve Silverman. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for coming, guys.
(Worst. Charity bachelor auction. Ever. / Photo via Strikeforce)
I fully expect tonight’s liveblog turnout to be more of an “intimate” affair, but that doesn’t mean we won’t do our best to give you a good show. Round-by-round results from the “Rockhold vs. Jardine” main card broadcast will be piling up after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET, courtesy of CagePotato liveblog up-and-comer Steve Silverman. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for coming, guys.
Our main event tonight is Luke Rockhold vs. Keith Jardine for the middleweight championship. We’ll start our coverage with Tyler Stinson vs. Tarec Saffiedine coming up right around the top of the hour.
Stinson has a 23-7 record while Saffiedine is 11-3 as these two welterweights hope to move up the ladder tonight. Let’s hope these guys go after it and don’t dance for three rounds. Good action and aggressiveness is a must. Round 1 upcoming.
Is there anyone who’s more of a jive-ass than Showtime announcer Mauro Ranallo? What a mope….
Stinson vs. Saffiedine
Round 1: Stinson with the hippy samurai hair do…Looks like he’d rather be in the club. Saffiedine is much more conventional looking and is a solid wrestler. …. Stinson with a straight left early. Stinson more aggressive early, Saffiedine wants to counter…Saffiedine pretty quick with his kicks. Good combination by Saffiedine. Good right roundhouse by Saffiedine followed by a straight right kick. Stinson connects with an elbow and almost puts Saffiedine down. Saffiedine cut around the right eye and it looks serious. Good left by Stinson and he’s looking for the nockout. Stinson is n charge. He’s getting hit hard. Stinson takes charge with a big finish.
Round 2: Stinson looking for power shots at the start of the round. He sees the blood and he wants to finish the round. Saffiedine is very defensive and looks to protect himself. Right kick by Stinson. Good 1-2 by Saffiedine and he registers a takedown with a solid shoulder drive to the midsection. Saffiedine trying to ground and pound and he is delivering shots — mostly to the ribs. Saffiedine is not doing a lot of damage but he has changed the momentum right now. Saffiedine trying to dig elbows to Stinson’s face and Stinson is bleeding. Big round for Saffiedine.
Round 3: Stinson hit below the belt to start off the round and is given time to recover. It was a right foot to the nuts. …
Saffiedine with another takedown. Very aggressive and wants to take control. More rib shots by Saffiedine. Maintains control and he is putting the pressure on Stinson. Elbows from Saffiedine are causing problems. Stinson can’t get up at this point. Stinson just ducks a big shot to the head. Blood all over Stinson’s body, some of it is from Saffiedine’s head cuts. Fighters standup in the final minute and it’s a bloodbath. Knee by Saffiedine hurts Stinson. Stinson coming on with combinations. Saffiedine out of gas at the horn. It looks like Saffiediene will hold on.
The decision goes to: Saffiedine…it’s a 2-1 split decision….
Next bout Tyron Woodley vs. Jordan Mein…another 3-rounder….
Woodley brings a 9-0 overall record into this bout, while Mein is 23-7.
Round 1: Woodley opens with a left roundhouse kick. Mein trying to measure Woodley against the cage. Woodley grabs hold and trying to get the takedown. Mein is avoiding the takedwon by using his length to gain leverage. Referee breaks them up and back to striking. Mein with and uppercut and Woodley takes him down. Woodley delivering punches. Mein tries to scramble away but Woodley is too quick and balanced to let him get away. Woodley looks comfortable on top but he has to start striking. Big elbow by Woodley but no follow up. Mein gets up. Knee from Woodley in final seconds. Not a lot of action, but it is Woodley’s round.
Round 2: Woodley is stronger and more powerful and he is looking confident at the start of the round. He gets in a solid right hand punch. Woodley takes down Mein once again. Solid right elbow by Woodley. Mein looks frustrated because he really can’t attack. Mein tries to throw elbows and they are landing to top of Woodley’s head. Mein trying to throw elbows and he is starting to be more effective. Woodley in control but he is not doing much damage. Woodley tapping Mein’s ribs. Mein tries guillotine but Woodley gets out of it. Even round even though Woodley was on top.
Round 3: Woodley ducks under a knee and registers another takedown. Mein uses the cage and pushes the match into the center of the cage. Left hook from the bottom by Mein and more left hand punches and elbows. Woodly finally throws a right hand and then a right elbow. Mein is resting even though his corner is imploring him to stay busy with two minutes to go. The fans want actin and they are booing. While Woodley is not throwing a lot, he doe maintain control. Ref stand them up and they start grappling. Woodley has his arms locked around the midsection. Not enough action. Woodley is the stronger man. He is in control as the fight ends. Poor fight but you have to give it to Woodley.
Decision: Woodley wins split decision. It should have been unanimous.
Next fight: King Mo Lawal (8-1) vs. Lorenz Larkin (12-0)
Larkin is a big striker but he will have his hands filled with the superior wrestling of King Mo…
Round 1: King Mo grabs Larkin’s leg and throws him down. King Mo trying to ground and pound. Very powerful and balanced. Larkin tries to scramble out but King Mo maintains control. Big right hands and elbows by King Mo. Larkin trying to sit out and he does deliver a right elbow. King Mo with some lefts in addition to the rights. Square shot to Larkin’s nose. Rib shots delivered by King Mo. He is punishing Larkin. Referee stands them up for no reason since King Mo was in control. Larking misses with wild left. Neither fighter does much in last 30 seconds. Give the round to King Mo.
Round 2: King Mo starts with an overhand right and grabs right leg. He takes Larkin down. King Mo delivering rights to body and head. He has power and is punishing Larkin. Larkin in huge trouble. He finishes King Mo with a sensational series of rights and Larkin is left defenseless.
King Mo wins big.
His hard right-hand punches were making a loud thump everytime he made contact with Larkin’s head. It could have been stopped 10 seconds earlier. Larkin could have been hurt badly.
Lawler is 18-8 while Amagov brings a 9-1-1 record into this fight.
Lawler is a big-time striker and he wants to reverse trend that has seen him lose 3 of 4. Amagov is a rough customer, a strong wrestler and a big hitter.
Round 1: Lawler charge but Amagov goes for the takedown. Amagov going for the guillotine and then delivers an illegal knee since Lawler was grounded. Lawler is getting a chance to recover. Amagov will lose a point for that illegal blow. Lawler finds his opening, delivers a knee and unloads on Amagov and stops him. The fight is over.
Lawler wins big!!!
Lawler needed just one flying knee to stun his opponent and then deliver hard punches. Great killer instinct. Referee had no choice but to stop fight because Amagov went limp.
The fight is stopped at 1:48 of the first round and goes into the books as a TKO for Lawler.
The feature bout between middleweight champion Luke Rockhold and challenger Keith Jardine is next. This is a 5-round bout. Jardine wants to turn this into a brawl, while Rockhold wants to use all his skills to defend his title.
Rockhold is 28 and brings an 8-1 record into the fight, while the veteran Jardine is 37 and has a 17-9-2 record.
Jardine does not respect Rockhold, calling him a “pretty fighter.” Rockhold has a lot of skills and seems quite confident.
Round 1: Rockhold with a solid left r0undhous kick to start. Jardine cut 19 pounds prior to the start of the fight to make weight. They are wrestling at the side of the cage and Rockhold delivering a few kicks. Right elbow from Rockhold. Jardine hit with a spinning back kick. Rockhold with a combination, Jardine with a left hand. Jardine looks slow and ponderous with roundhouse punches. Right hand by Rockhold drops Jardine, but he gets up right away. Another right by Rochkhold and Jardine goes down. He then launches a series of punches and Jardine can’t defend himself. Rockhold wins big.
Jardine could not compete. He was not quick enough with his hands and he could not defend himself. Rockhold showed he can be a devastating finisher.
Jardine looked tired and slow throughout. He was out of his element tonight.
The official time is 4:21 and Rockhold retains his middleweight title.
Rockhold was very confident going in and he used his speed and skills to get an edge. He overpowered his opponent tonight and he appears to be getting better every time he fights.
