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When the UFC decided to introduce the 125-pound weight class, they decided to do it in style: with a four man tournament.They announced the participants would be two former bantamweight contenders, Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, and two UFC n…
When the UFC decided to introduce the 125-pound weight class, they decided to do it in style: with a four man tournament.
They announced the participants would be two former bantamweight contenders, Demetrious Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, and two UFC newcomers, Yasuhiro Urushitani and Ian McCall. Johnson would fight McCall and Benavidez would fight Urushitani.
Let’s take a look at a breakdown of the tournament thus far.
(While 406 votes may not seem that significant, first consider that this screenshot was taken within an hour of the poll’s creation, and all 111 votes for Dana White were placed by one person. You know who.)
UFC 152 is still three days away, yet I already feel something churning within the deepest regions of my stomach, something I haven’t felt in quite some time when dealing with a UFC card: Excitement. Maybe even nervousness. While at least some of the mixed emotion can be attributed to a few names featured on the card that I always like to watch throw down (specifically: Stann, Belfort, Benavidez, and Hettes), I can’t help but feel as if the main source of my excitement is completely disconnected from the card itself, as if any card could bring me this kind of joy. I feel like I did in the days before a UFC event four or five years ago, and I guarantee that a good percentage of you are feeling it too.
And I imagine you know why you’re feeling it. It’s because the cancellation of UFC 151 was responsible for the largest gap between UFC cards in nearly two years, and was ultimately a good move by the UFC.
At the risk of retreading old ground, I’ll admit that I was quick to throw haterade on Jon Jones for his decision to not fight Chael Sonnen in the days that followed it, and still feel a little disdain toward the champ for doing so. But now that I’ve had some time to digest the situation in its entirety, I’ve come to at least appreciate both Jones’ and the UFC’s decision — as conflicting as it is to say so — and here are the main reasons why.
(While 406 votes may not seem that significant, first consider that this screenshot was taken within an hour of the poll’s creation, and all 111 votes for Dana White were placed by one person. You know who.)
UFC 152 is still three days away, yet I already feel something churning within the deepest regions of my stomach, something I haven’t felt in quite some time when dealing with a UFC card: Excitement. Maybe even nervousness. While at least some of the mixed emotion can be attributed to a few names featured on the card that I always like to watch throw down (specifically: Stann, Belfort, Benavidez, and Hettes), I can’t help but feel as if the main source of my excitement is completely disconnected from the card itself, as if any card could bring me this kind of joy. I feel like I did in the days before a UFC event four or five years ago, and I guarantee that a good percentage of you are feeling it too.
And I imagine you know why you’re feeling it. It’s because the cancellation of UFC 151 was responsible for the largest gap between UFC cards in nearly two years, and was ultimately a good move by the UFC.
At the risk of retreading old ground, I’ll admit that I was quick to throw haterade on Jon Jones for his decision to not fight Chael Sonnen in the days that followed it, and still feel a little disdain toward the champ for doing so. But now that I’ve had some time to digest the situation in its entirety, I’ve come to at least appreciate both Jones’ and the UFC’s decision — as conflicting as it is to say so — and here are the main reasons why.
1. Cancelling UFC 151 saved us from another “garbage-ass” card:
This general opinion is both why many fans were quick to defend Jones/lambaste Dana White and ironically the best reason that we were spared UFC 151 in favor of UFC 152. As BG so eloquently phrased it, UFC 151 was kind of garbage-ass, so let’s take a look at what we would have been dealing with had it transpired:
While there are definitely some good matchups here, a PPV main card that features Dennis Ballman vs. Thiago Tavares is not a good indicator of a card’s strength. Plus, Jacob Volkmann, you guys.
Now let’s take a look at what we’ll be treated to this weekend, God willing:
Top to bottom, UFC 152 is pretty freakin’ stacked. The only fight on the main card that doesn’t immediately scream fireworks is Hamill vs. Hollett, and the fact that it features an inspirational figure like Hamill attempting a career comeback should be enough to get most fans interested in the matchup. On the undercard, we’ll get to see the UFC return of TUF 8 finalist and true M-1 Light Heavyweight champ Vinny Magalhaes against powerful/streaking slugger Igor Pokrajac, another chance to see the ever-improving phenom Jimy Hettes, as well as crowd-pleasers like Kyle Noke, Walel Watson, and Evan Dunham.
Is the main event still a squash match? Sure, but Vitor Belfort has a way better chance at dethroning Jon Jones than Sonnen ever did, and in much more exciting fashion. And I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather see the inaugural flyweight title fight as my co-main than Jay Hieron vs. Jake Ellenberger (all due respect), even though no one seems to be talking about either.
2. Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Like I previously stated, part if not most of my excitement (and what I imagine is the case for many of you) truly has little to do with who I will be watching, but merely the fact that I will be watching any high-level fights. While this is not exactly a point I can prove using any kind of empirical data, we’ve discussed the possibility of over-saturation in the UFC before and a good percentage of you seemed to agree that the frequency of UFC cards was having the opposite of the desired effect when it came to the frequency at which you purchased them. By simply giving UFC 152 a little time to stew and gain hype — the latter of which could at least partially be attributed to the awesome fan made trailers for the event — the UFC will more than likely reap the pay-per-view rewards of an unprecedented (as of late) month long gap in between cards come fight night.
Will it be Sonnen-level buys? Maybe so, maybe not, but by a show of hands, how many of you Taters plan on purchasing UFC 152 this weekend or at least traveling to the nearest bar to catch it? It’s probably a higher percentage than you would imagine given the headlining matchup at hand.
3. SQUASH MATCHES ARE AWESOME
You guys want a return to the PRIDE mentality? You want some good old fashioned freak show fights? How about a main event where the champion is currently listed at -800 over the challenger? Not good enough? How about a -1350 deathmatch featuring Anderson Silva and this guy? Whether the UFC is aware of it or not, they have slowly begun to adopt the mindset that made PRIDE so balls-to-the-wall awesome. Mainly, serving up a squash match or two to help the audience digest all of the “fair fights” that have been plauging the UFC as of late. They’re even bringing back the ref cam…eventually. And as soon as the UFC decides to throw caution to the wind and embrace this old-school mentality with 100% enthusiasm, it can only mean two things:
1) Martinez vs. Zimmer II
2) The UFC return of a certain Japanese HLUK-slaying legend.
So yes, the cancellation of UFC 151 was actually a good thing for the fans of the sport, excluding of course those who wound up with a hotel room, flight, and other expenses that they could not back out of. But like they say, to make an omelette, you gotta break some eggs, and do I really need to explain why the UFC needs this sort of omelette?
(“Remember when we were the main event on this card? That was awesome.”)
With all the talk surrounding UFC 152 focusing on Jon “Male Supermodel/Piece of Meat/Ring Boy/Bones” Jones and Vitor “The Young Dinosaur” Belfort, it seems the inaugural flyweight title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is flying under everyone’s radar. (Except, ironically, Michael Bisping’s.) It’s a shame, because unlike the fight everyone is talking about, this one actually has a chance to be competitive.
This isn’t to say Benavidez doesn’t deserve to be the clear favorite here; he does. He’s only lost twice in his career — both times by decision to current bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz — and has been consistently dominant in his fights since his last loss. Johnson’s record is less impressive of late. A suspect decision win over Miguel Torres was followed by a decision loss to Cruz, in which he was dominated so thoroughly that the aforementioned Torres would have been fired if he had tweeted about it. Since then, Johnson turned in a solid but not entirely impressive performance against the man with the best nickname in MMA which resulted in a draw marred by a scorekeeping controversy before finally putting to rest any doubt by defeating McCall three months later.
But while Johnson’s run hasn’t been as thrilling as Benavidez’s, he’s still a formidable challenge for any fighter. Aside from his two fights with McCall, he has fought opposition despite routinely giving up weight and reach advantages at bantamweight. He was tough enough to grit out the victory over Torres despite breaking his fibula in the second round. And despite getting outclassed by Cruz, he never let up the pace and continued to push forward. He learned from his mistakes against McCall and dominated their second meeting. Neither he nor Benavidez have ever been finished. Both appear to have limitless gas tanks, and fight at a speed that even a NASCAR driver on meth would admit is “fast.”
(“Remember when we were the main event on this card? That was awesome.”)
With all the talk surrounding UFC 152 focusing on Jon “Male Supermodel/Piece of Meat/Ring Boy/Bones” Jones and Vitor “The Young Dinosaur” Belfort, it seems the inaugural flyweight title fight between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson is flying under everyone’s radar. (Except, ironically, Michael Bisping’s.) It’s a shame, because unlike the fight everyone is talking about, this one actually has a chance to be competitive.
This isn’t to say Benavidez doesn’t deserve to be the clear favorite here; he does. He’s only lost twice in his career — both times by decision to current bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz — and has been consistently dominant in his fights since his last loss. Johnson’s record is less impressive of late. A suspect decision win over Miguel Torres was followed by a decision loss to Cruz, in which he was dominated so thoroughly that the aforementioned Torres would have been fired if he had tweeted about it. Since then, Johnson turned in a solid but not entirely impressive performance against the man with the best nickname in MMA which resulted in a draw marred by a scorekeeping controversy before finally putting to rest any doubt by defeating McCall three months later.
But while Johnson’s run hasn’t been as thrilling as Benavidez’s, he’s still a formidable challenge for any fighter. Aside from his two fights with McCall, he has fought opposition despite routinely giving up weight and reach advantages at bantamweight. He was tough enough to grit out the victory over Torres despite breaking his fibula in the second round. And despite getting outclassed by Cruz, he never let up the pace and continued to push forward. He learned from his mistakes against McCall and dominated their second meeting. Neither he nor Benavidez have ever been finished. Both appear to have limitless gas tanks, and fight at a speed that even a NASCAR driver on meth would admit is “fast.”
In other words, this is going to be a good fight. The lighter divisions have always been —and continue to be — superior to the heavier divisions in terms of depth and talent. The skill and speed required to compete at these weights, where you can’t rely on power or strength, necessitates this. It also results in fights being more consistently engaging, technical, and competitive. The battle for the inaugural flyweight title should, by all accounts, be all of these things. If anything, some might perceive this as a criticism since Johnson and Benavidez are so technical that it’s unlikely either will get knocked out or submitted. (Though if it does happen, bet on it being the result of a Benavidez guillotine.)
But while a definitive finish is certainly preferable, I’ll settle for an exciting, competitive fight. Both fighters are going to attempt to implement their wrestling early and often in an attempt to slowly break the other fighter. However, don’t be surprised to see some serious exchanges. Both fighters love to throw the overhand right, but possess well-rounded striking as well. Johnson’s is a little more diverse, but it also leaves him open more often. Expect Benavidez to take advantage of that over the course of the fight, using small mistakes Johnson makes to secure takedowns and slowly wear Johnson down en route to a decision victory or a late submission after a high-octane bout.
UFC 152 comes to you hot this weekend with a couple of title bouts, including the first ever flyweight title bout between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson.Both men competed in the inaugural flyweight tournament. Benavidez knocked out Yasuhiro Ur…
UFC 152 comes to you hot this weekend with a couple of title bouts, including the first ever flyweight title bout between Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson.
Both men competed in the inaugural flyweight tournament. Benavidez knocked out Yasuhiro Urushitani to make it to the finals, while Johnson drew against Ian McCall before earning a decision win over him.
Here is a head-to-toe breakdown of the first ever UFC Flyweight Championship match.
(Benavidez REALLY lets Bisping have it at the 4:05 mark. That is sarcasm, by the way.)
It used to simply surprise me each time someone raced to defend the actions of Michael Bisping after we had given him the public tongue-lashing he so rightfully deserved, be it for his coaching exploits, his insistence on insulting every middleweight he comes across, or his general dickishness when alcohol is involved. His supporters, whom I can only assume are as crass, doltish, and incoherent as the subject at hand, often label us “anti-British,” because clearly Bisping’s ancestry is at the forefront of our issues with the guy, not the relentless douchbaggery he displays at every conceivable opportunity. But over the years, I’ve come to realize that no matter how sound a given argument is, there will always be a minority rallying against it. It’s why Old Dad was recently lambasted by the readers over at MMAJunkie for declaring that Brock Lesnar and all 8 of his professional fights had not earned him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame because he had helped the sport get some fans (bring it on, bitches!). And it’s undoubtedly why some of you — for God knows what reason — will always be quick to defend the hooley-hoo punk-ass jabroni known as Count Bisping (seriously, BRING IT ON!).
Take his recent squabble with the UFC’s flyweight division, for instance. With no clear motivation (other than being billed below them at UFC 152), Bisping decided to launch into a diatribe aimed at the 125-pounders, declaring that “no one cares about little flyweights.” Bisping continued his attack at the UFC 152 press conference, where, when forced to deal with a response from Joseph Benavidez, stated that “when you were a glint in your dad’s eye, I was kicking ass in the UFC,” which makes sense because AGE IS DETERMINED BY HEIGHT AND WEIGHT AND THAT’S IT SHUT UP. Benavidez, along with most of us who can subtract 28 from 33, dismissed Bisping’s comments as “ridiculous” and moved on. However, when Benavidez was asked by teammate Urijah Faber in the “fighter diary” above if he thought he hit harder than Bisping, he nonchalantly declared that yes, he believed he did.
This was the kind of insolence that Bisping would simply not tolerate.
After the jump: Bisping’s response, which is as eloquently phrased and intelligent as Winston Churchill’s epic pwnage of Nancy Astor.
(Benavidez REALLY lets Bisping have it at the 4:05 mark. That is sarcasm, by the way.)
It used to simply surprise me each time someone raced to defend the actions of Michael Bisping after we had given him the public tongue-lashing he so rightfully deserved, be it for his coaching exploits, his insistence on insulting every middleweight he comes across, or his general dickishness when alcohol is involved. His supporters, whom I can only assume are as crass, doltish, and incoherent as the subject at hand, often label us “anti-British,” because clearly Bisping’s ancestry is at the forefront of our issues with the guy, not the relentless douchbaggery he displays at every conceivable opportunity. But over the years, I’ve come to realize that no matter how sound a given argument is, there will always be a minority rallying against it. It’s why Old Dad was recently lambasted by the readers over at MMAJunkie for declaring that Brock Lesnar and all 8 of his professional fights had not earned him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame because he had helped the sport get some fans (bring it on, bitches!). And it’s undoubtedly why some of you — for God knows what reason — will always be quick to defend the hooley-hoo punk-ass jabroni known as Count Bisping (seriously, BRING IT ON!).
Take his recent squabble with the UFC’s flyweight division, for instance. With no clear motivation (other than being billed below them at UFC 152), Bisping decided to launch into a diatribe aimed at the 125-pounders, declaring that “no one cares about little flyweights.” Bisping continued his attack at the UFC 152 press conference, where, when forced to deal with a response from Joseph Benavidez, stated that “when you were a glint in your dad’s eye, I was kicking ass in the UFC,” which makes sense because AGE IS DETERMINED BY HEIGHT AND WEIGHT AND THAT’S IT SHUT UP. Benavidez, along with most of us who can subtract 28 from 33, dismissed Bisping’s comments as “ridiculous” and moved on. However, when Benavidez was asked by teammate Urijah Faber in the “fighter diary” above if he thought he hit harder than Bisping, he nonchalantly declared that yes, he believed he did.
This was the kind of insolence that Bisping would simply not tolerate.
As is typically the case for shit-stirring fighters like Bisping, the TUF 3 winner truly cannot take it as well as he can dish it out. Bisping recently declared “Pepsi Challenge” war on Benavidez for his off-the-cuff remark, even going as far as to say that Benavidez had somehow started their whole verbal quarrel in the first place. He spoke with MMAJunkie radio:
That smug-faced little t— in a prepubescent boy’s body needs to shut the f— up because I’ll take the Pepsi Challenge with that short-ass any day of the week.
People are going to say that I’m talking crap, but he’s the one trying to start in with me. [Benavidez] needs to recognize his weight class because my 11-year-old boy will take care of him.
Those of us who maintain the ability to recall basic information from less than a month ago should see the main flaw in Bisping’s argument: He did in fact start it. He always starts it. It’s this kind of willful ignorance that makes you wonder if Bisping is suffering from a Leonard Shelby-esque syndrome where he convinces himself that each person he sees is really the man who fictitiously raped and killed his wife. Of course, an H-bomb as epic as the one he received could easily be responsible for such a condition, so perhaps we should stop making fun of Bisping’s shortcomings as a human being and start being concerned for his mental health. On second thought, fuck that.
And as is usually the case when arguing with a wall, Benavidez was short and to the point in his response, posting the following on his twitter:
Wow didn’t think a big, tough, secure guy like
@bisping would get all butt hurt at my blog. Pretty funny.
It’s funny because Benavidez is saying the opposite of what he really means, something Bisping will surely overlook in his profanity-filled response.
After an unscheduled gap in the schedule, the UFC will return to action on Saturday, September 22 when Jon Jones puts his light heavyweight crown on the line in the main event of UFC 152. The fight card will also feature a second title fight, as Joseph…
After an unscheduled gap in the schedule, the UFC will return to action on Saturday, September 22 when Jon Jones puts his light heavyweight crown on the line in the main event of UFC 152. The fight card will also feature a second title fight, as Joseph Benavidez and Demetrious Johnson battle it out to see who will be the first fighter in UFC history to wear the promotion’s flyweight title belt.
With UFC 152 quickly approaching, what better time to take a look back at fights from the combatants that will compete in the headlining bouts at the Air Canada Center. As a bonus, you get a Michael Bisping bout as well.
Enjoy.
