Tag: Kenny Florian

The Question: Does Anthony Pettis Belong on Top of UFC’s Pound-for-Pound List?

If you ask the casual UFC fan about the sport’s top fighters, you’ll typically get a pretty standard list in return. Jon Jones will be somewhere near the top. So will middleweight kingpin Chris Weidman, featherweight standout Jose Aldo and even women’s…

If you ask the casual UFC fan about the sport’s top fighters, you’ll typically get a pretty standard list in return. Jon Jones will be somewhere near the top. So will middleweight kingpin Chris Weidman, featherweight standout Jose Aldo and even women’s bantamweight Ronda Rousey.

It’s only after rattling off a string of other names that Anthony Pettis (18-2) tends to enter the mix.

Is that fair? Should the UFC’s lightweight champion, a man who won the title from the king of close decisions, Benson Henderson, in a runaway romp, be considered among the elite? Should his every fight, not just Saturday’s tilt against Rafael dos Anjos at UFC 185, be greeted with more fanfare than this?

Bleacher Report’s lead combat sports writer Jonathan Snowden and Kenny Florian, former UFC lightweight contender and current Fox Sports 1 broadcaster extraordinaire, tackle the issue—but carefully. Kenny didn’t want to muss his hair.

 

Kenny Florian: He definitely is on my list of elite fighters, and I do think he is undervalued tremendously. However, consistency is key in this sport. And we just haven’t seen him enough.

The hardcores know how good he is. But he’s not sticking in the memory of the general MMA fans. That’s an issue for Pettis, but he’s not alone. I think that’s an issue with Cain Velasquez right now, too. Fortunately, Cain has built much more of a history with UFC fans, so it’s easier to return after time off.

It’s tougher for Pettis. These guys need to be performing on a pretty consistent basis—and Anthony has really struggled with injuries. That’s why we haven’t seen the same praise and attention thrown his way. It’s unfortunate.

 

Jonathan Snowden: Since splitting his first two fights in the Octagon way back in 2011, Pettis has really come into his own. He’s finished four of the best fighters in the division, winning a Performance of the Night bonus each time out.

But I think you’re right. There’s a more telling statistic hidden in there. In three years, Pettis has only fought four times. Combined, he has less than five total rounds under his belt during that period. That’s just not enough to make the impact you need.

No one would encourage a fighter to come to the cage hurt—but there’s a fine line between injuries everyone accumulates and works through and something that should keep you out of action for months. That’s a tricky balancing act, isn’t it?

 

Florian: There does need to be a balance. Every three-to-four months, guys should be looking to compete. I do know he wants to get at least three fights in this year. He’s in the prime of his career right now. He wants to fight.

I think Pettis realizes the importance of being out there again and again. Whether it’s sponsors, other opportunities outside of the cage or building that fanbase so people want to see you fight, being active is only going to help you.

Fighters need to compete to make people want to see them compete again. It equals dollars for him if he can attract pay-per-view buys. Not to mention, you want to say sharp. It’s not just economic.

 

Snowden: What frustrates me the most is that Pettis has shown transcendent ability when he has had the chance to go out and perform. My friend Patrick Wyman from Sherdog calls him a “generational” fighter.

That’s bold praise.

I’m often accused of hyperbole—and that’s fair. I tend to get carried away when a fighter does something worth getting carried away about. But I think we are on to something here. Pettis is a gifted fighter on the mat and one of the smartest we’ve ever seen from range with both kicks and punches.

You’ve been in the cage with one of the consensus greats in the division in B.J Penn. So you have some expertise here. Is it unthinkable that Pettis has the potential to be the best?

 

Florian: I don’t think that’s out of the realm of possibility. The skills he’s shown are very impressive. He’s not just beating top guys—he’s making it look easy. He’s finishing them.

The most impressive thing about Pettis is that he carries with him an intuition. When he fights you can see he has this confidence and belief in himself. He has the fearlessness to let his skills truly shine. He can go out there, let go of all the pressure and just compete—and do it with flash and pizzazz.

I think that’s a hard thing for a lot of guys. Jon Jones has it. Conor McGregor looks like he does too. But even Jose Aldo, for as great as he is, feels like he’s holding something back. Like he’s maybe not letting it all go, that he’s not showing all of his skills in the Octagon. With Pettis, I get the sense he feels like he’s in a training session.

His ability to find your smallest mistake and expose you is unlike most fighters out there. He has a killer instinct a lot like Anderson Silva’s. It reminds me of when Silva was on his run.

Anthony Pettis is a special athlete and a superstar in the making. The only things slowing him down are injuries. It’s hard to build a legend when you can’t fight on a consistent basis. But I think he’s a special fighter, and he certainly could go down as the best lightweight of all time.

 

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.

Kenny Florian fought for the UFC title on two occasions and is currently a color commentator and studio analyst for Fox Sports 1.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Friday Links: GSP Cleared to Train Again, Medieval Knight MMA, Brandon Vera Books First Post-UFC Fight + More

(The exact moment when Kenny Florian met the love of his life, Clark Gilmer. Crazy. Props to Karyn Bryant/MMA HEAT)

Georges St-Pierre Medically Cleared to Resume Training (UFC.com)

Report: Fabricio Werdum Nearly Poisoned to Death in Mexico During UFC 180 Training Camp (MMAMania)

Today’s Lesson From M-1: Always Bring a Knight to an MMA Fight (MiddleEasy)

Miesha Tate Has A Few Words Of Advice For You — So Pay Attention (AskMen)

Justin Bieber Is Now Being Trained to Box by Floyd Mayweather Jr. (BleacherReport)

Brandon Vera Makes One FC Debut Against Igor Subora at ‘Warrior’s Way’ on Dec. 5 (Sherdog)

Must-See GIF: Giant Swing, Leg Lock, Flair Flop Celebration (gfycat)

Gallery: Star Wars Episode VII Leaked Concept Art (ScreenJunkies)

Smoke On This: Afroman Remixes “Because I Got High” For Marijuana Reform (PopHangover)

The 50 Worst Photos Ever Taken by Professional Photographers (WorldwideInterweb)

Manly Man Impaled by Frozen Paintball, Doesn’t Flinch (EveryJoe)

NYCC 2014 Cosplay Gallery – Day 4 (Gamefront)

Who You Are…According to Your Fridge (Radass)


(The exact moment when Kenny Florian met the love of his life, Clark Gilmer. Crazy. Props to Karyn Bryant/MMA HEAT)

Georges St-Pierre Medically Cleared to Resume Training (UFC.com)

Report: Fabricio Werdum Nearly Poisoned to Death in Mexico During UFC 180 Training Camp (MMAMania)

Today’s Lesson From M-1: Always Bring a Knight to an MMA Fight (MiddleEasy)

Miesha Tate Has A Few Words Of Advice For You — So Pay Attention (AskMen)

Justin Bieber Is Now Being Trained to Box by Floyd Mayweather Jr. (BleacherReport)

Brandon Vera Makes One FC Debut Against Igor Subora at ‘Warrior’s Way’ on Dec. 5 (Sherdog)

Must-See GIF: Giant Swing, Leg Lock, Flair Flop Celebration (gfycat)

Gallery: Star Wars Episode VII Leaked Concept Art (ScreenJunkies)

Smoke On This: Afroman Remixes “Because I Got High” For Marijuana Reform (PopHangover)

The 50 Worst Photos Ever Taken by Professional Photographers (WorldwideInterweb)

Manly Man Impaled by Frozen Paintball, Doesn’t Flinch (EveryJoe)

NYCC 2014 Cosplay Gallery – Day 4 (Gamefront)

Who You Are…According to Your Fridge (Radass)

The Top Ten Times Dana White Buried His Own Fighters


(Warning: The Danascowl has appeared. Brace for impact. / Photo via Getty)

By Mike Fagan

They say pimping ain’t easy, and that’s probably true for promoting too. (There’s a whole host of other uncomfortable comparisons to be made between the two professions as well.) Pimping is probably a lot harder when you constantly denigrate your talent. “Yeah, Mary? She makes a weird squealing noise when you bang her. But hey, it’s your money.” Yet, that’s exactly what UFC president Dana White does. Here are the top ten instances of Dana White burying his own fighters.

Honorable Mention: Antonio Silva

The UFC buried him. Literally.

10. (Tie) Kenny Florian and Nate Marquardt

Kenny Florian and Nate Marquardt are two very different people. Where Florian is a suave, dark-haired Massachusetts lifer, Marquardt is a ginger mountain man who made sure to list himself first and foremost as a Christian on his Twitter bio. They have one thing in common though: Dana White called them both chokers.

Nate Marquardt lost a close fight to Yushin Okami at UFC 122. Okami was 9-2 in the UFC heading into the fight, and would go on to fight Anderson Silva for the title in his next appearance. That didn’t stop Dana White from calling Marquardt a choker and blasting the Greg Jackson-led corner (more on him in a bit!) for telling Marquardt he was leading on points.

As for Florian, White said he didn’t want to “take anything away from Gray Maynard” and wasn’t “bad-mouthing” or “trying to disrespect” Florian after UFC 118. But that’s exactly what he did when he said Florian “chokes in big fights” before reducing his performance to standing and staring at Maynard. Florian’s five UFC losses came to Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn, Maynard, and Jose Aldo — all champions or title challengers. Maybe, just maybe, the overachieving Florian just wasn’t on their level?

9. Jose Aldo


(Warning: The Danascowl has appeared. Brace for impact. / Photo via Getty)

By Mike Fagan

They say pimping ain’t easy, and that’s probably true for promoting too. (There’s a whole host of other uncomfortable comparisons to be made between the two professions as well.) Pimping is probably a lot harder when you constantly denigrate your talent. “Yeah, Mary? She makes a weird squealing noise when you bang her. But hey, it’s your money.” Yet, that’s exactly what UFC president Dana White does. Here are the top ten instances of Dana White burying his own fighters.

Honorable Mention: Antonio Silva

The UFC buried him. Literally.

10. (Tie) Kenny Florian and Nate Marquardt

Kenny Florian and Nate Marquardt are two very different people. Where Florian is a suave, dark-haired Massachusetts lifer, Marquardt is a ginger mountain man who made sure to list himself first and foremost as a Christian on his Twitter bio. They have one thing in common though: Dana White called them both chokers.

Nate Marquardt lost a close fight to Yushin Okami at UFC 122. Okami was 9-2 in the UFC heading into the fight, and would go on to fight Anderson Silva for the title in his next appearance. That didn’t stop Dana White from calling Marquardt a choker and blasting the Greg Jackson-led corner (more on him in a bit!) for telling Marquardt he was leading on points.

As for Florian, White said he didn’t want to “take anything away from Gray Maynard” and wasn’t “bad-mouthing” or “trying to disrespect” Florian after UFC 118. But that’s exactly what he did when he said Florian “chokes in big fights” before reducing his performance to standing and staring at Maynard. Florian’s five UFC losses came to Diego Sanchez, Sean Sherk, B.J. Penn, Maynard, and Jose Aldo — all champions or title challengers. Maybe, just maybe, the overachieving Florian just wasn’t on their level?

9. Jose Aldo

Jose Aldo is undefeated in 14 fights under the Zuffa banner. He’s lost a single fight in his career, submitting to a rear-naked choke in his eighth pro bout less than two years after his debut. He’s been very good for a very long time. Yet, Dana White couldn’t help himself after Aldo took a wide decision over Ricardo Lamas at UFC 169:

“The thing about Jose Aldo that drives me crazy is the kid has all the talent in the world. He’s explosive, fast. He can do anything but he just lays back and doesn’t let anything go. 

“When you talk about being the pound-for-pound best in the world, you can’t go five rounds with guys that it looks like you can defeat them in the second round. That’s what Aldo has a habit of doing.”

Jose Aldo fights Chad Mendes in two weeks at UFC 179. This is what happened the last time Aldo met Mendes.

8. Josh Koscheck

Josh Koscheck, for all intents and purposes, is a UFC lifer. After two fights outside the UFC, Koscheck joined the inaugural Ultimate Fighter cast and made his real deal UFC debut in April 2005. He’s fought every single one of his next 23 pro fights in the UFC, amassing a 15-8 record inside the Octagon against the top fighters at 170 pounds.

How does Dana White reward this kind of loyalty?

“It’s not like me and Koscheck are buddies…I think Koscheck is as much of a dick as anyone else does. We have no beef. It’s — he’s not a team player.”

Yeah, the guy who fought Thiago Alves and Anthony Johnson on short notice (and, later, Matt Hughes) is not a team player.

7. Alistair Overeem

On the UFC 169 undercard, Alistair Overeem met former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Overeem outstruck Mir 139 to 5 en route to a unanimous decision. (A decision that saw zero 10-8 rounds handed out because we can’t have nice things in MMA.) Dana White gave Overeem a thumbs down and called it a “crappy performance.” Whatever you say, Commodus. 

6. Nate Diaz

Unhappy with the terms of his contract, Nate Diaz held out most of 2014. I mean, hey, it worked out famously for his brother, who wound up with a three-fight extension and a fight against Anderson Silva. Nate quietly ended his holdout a few weeks ago, and what did he receive? No new contract, and Dana White labeling him as someone who “doesn’t move the needle.” So, the UFC matched him up with some schlub and put him on the Fight Pass prelims, right? Oh, no no, my friend. Nate Diaz, prohibitor of needle moving, gets a top-five opponent in Rafael dos Anjos in a featured bout on Big Fox. 

5. Jon Fitch

Let’s be honest: Jon Fitch doesn’t have the best reputation among fans. Between 2005 and 2010, the only thing more secure than Fitch’s spot near the top of the welterweight rankings was the inevitable fan backlash about his “boring” style every time he fought. But, you know, it’s probably in a promoter’s best interest not to feed that perception. Yet, here’s Dana White ahead of UFC 141 in 2011:

“You hear the same thing from everybody about Jon Fitch: ‘If I want to get to sleep and I can’t get to sleep at night, I’ll put in a Jon Fitch fight.’ … [F]ind one person that will tell you they love a Jon Fitch fight, it’s the most exciting thing they’ve ever seen and they just get so excited for it.”

And we were surprised this guy cut Fitch after he went 1-2 in his next three fights.

Continue to the next page for Dana’s four greatest fighter burials!

The 10 Best UFC Post-Fight Press Conference Sadfaces


(“I am not impress wit my performance” – Photo by Esther Lin for MMAFighting)

By Ryan Harkness

Schadenfreude is the German word for taking pleasure from the misfortune of others, and aside from scheisseporn it’s pretty much the best word to come out of Germany untranslated. The German fußball team gave us some textbook definition schadenfreude action when they crushed Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup earlier this week, and everyone on the internet delighted in watching the host nation weep like little bitches during the meltdown.

Evil pleasure aside, there’s something fascinating about seeing another human wallowing in sadness. And outside of a choking team’s arena or third world country, I’d argue there’s no better place to stare sadness in the face than at a UFC post-fight press conference.

While most of the defeated fighters on a card get to skip the conference and ruminate on their losses in private, the loser of the main event is expected to show up and answer sharp questions from our crack MMA media like “How do you feel right now?” and “What is next now that you’ve failed?”

The look on their faces as they struggle to answer will hit you right in the feels. Or trigger dat schadenfreude if you’re a dick. Since I am definitely a dick, allow me to be your sadness sommelier on this tour through the saddest sadfaces at UFC post-fight press conferences…


(“I am not impress wit my performance” – Photo by Esther Lin for MMAFighting)

By Ryan Harkness

Schadenfreude is the German word for taking pleasure from the misfortune of others, and aside from scheisseporn it’s pretty much the best word to come out of Germany untranslated. The German fußball team gave us some textbook definition schadenfreude action when they crushed Brazil 7-1 in the World Cup earlier this week, and everyone on the internet delighted in watching the host nation weep like little bitches during the meltdown.

Evil pleasure aside, there’s something fascinating about seeing another human wallowing in sadness. And outside of a choking team’s arena or third world country, I’d argue there’s no better place to stare sadness in the face than at a UFC post-fight press conference.

While most of the defeated fighters on a card get to skip the conference and ruminate on their losses in private, the loser of the main event is expected to show up and answer sharp questions from our crack MMA media like “How do you feel right now?” and “What is next now that you’ve failed?”

The look on their faces as they struggle to answer will hit you right in the feels. Or trigger dat schadenfreude if you’re a dick. Since I am definitely a dick, allow me to be your sadness sommelier on this tour through the saddest sadfaces at UFC post-fight press conferences…

Kenny Florian

After three failed runs at the lightweight title, Kenny dropped down to 145 for one last attempt at a UFC belt. Unfortunately he ran into the buzzsaw that was prime Jose Aldo and lost the fight 49-46 on all three judges’ scorecards. I’m pretty sure he would have shed a few tears if his body had the moisture to spare after cutting down to featherweight.

BJ Penn

It seemed pretty damn obvious to everyone except BJ Penn that he was gonna get tool time’d by Frankie Edgar in their third fight. It wasn’t until the post-fight conference that the reality of his situation hit BJ in the face harder than anything Frankie threw in the cage. “I shouldn’t have come back.” Welcome to everyone’s conclusion from nine months ago, BJ.

Georges St. Pierre

Georges is the only winner to make it onto this list for the epic sadface he pulled after his ‘victory’ over Johny Hendricks. First off, you know a guy as OCD as GSP was aware he didn’t exactly perform to his typical flawless standard. Secondly, he not only had those ‘personal problems’ to deal with, his awkward out of the blue retirement in the cage went over about as well as a fart in church. That all led to St Pierre giving us a little glimpse of what things are like in his dark place.

Lyoto Machida

(Photo via Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

For all the hype and accolades Lyoto got out of this fight, he knows the score: he’s 36 years old, and only managed to secure this title shot by default because the rest of the middleweight division turned out to be on steroids. Unless he’s willing to push his career into Randy Couture territory, we probably just witnessed his last kick at the title shot can.

Chael Sonnen

Here’s a twofer that proves the only thing worse than choking and losing a title fight with two minutes remaining is choking and losing a title fight in the second round. Not pictured: the sad face Chael has now as he sits on his couch with his withered testicles in one hand and a lifetime prescription for TRT in the other.

Kenny Florian and Renato Laranja’s ‘Heat’ Parody Will Make You LOL Hard, Guaranteed

This settles it: Kenny Florian does the best Al Pacino impression in the world (among retired UFC fighters). Also, if Robert Downey Jr. can get an Oscar nomination for playing an Australian guy playing a black guy, then Rhasaan Orange at least deserves a Webby for playing a Brazilian guy playing Robert De Niro.

The rest of the Renato Laranja Show: Episode 1 is brilliant as well — “Are you a chicken farmer? Because you raised my cock. Porra.” — but honestly, that Heat parody needs to be a full-length movie, with Roy Nelson in the Val Kilmer role.

This settles it: Kenny Florian does the best Al Pacino impression in the world (among retired UFC fighters). Also, if Robert Downey Jr. can get an Oscar nomination for playing an Australian guy playing a black guy, then Rhasaan Orange at least deserves a Webby for playing a Brazilian guy playing Robert De Niro.

The rest of the Renato Laranja Show: Episode 1 is brilliant as well — “Are you a chicken farmer? Because you raised my cock. Porra.” — but honestly, that Heat parody needs to be a full-length movie, with Roy Nelson in the Val Kilmer role.

Dropping Knowledge: Kenny Florian Breaks Down Card for Fight Night 35

The team of analysts for the UFC on Fox Sports 1 and Fox broadcasts has been providing the most in-depth coverage that mixed martial arts has seen in its 20 years of existence.
With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and a handful of well-versed h…

The team of analysts for the UFC on Fox Sports 1 and Fox broadcasts has been providing the most in-depth coverage that mixed martial arts has seen in its 20 years of existence.

With a collection of seasoned fight veterans and a handful of well-versed hosts at the helm, the people working the pre– and post-fight shows for the UFC have consistently raised the bar.

For the next installment of “Dropping Knowledge,” the man with the best hair in the fight business made time in his hectic schedule of saving models and senior citizens as Kenny Florian jumped in the passenger’s seat. The retired Boston native built a storied career during his time in the UFC. He notched memorable wins and became a title contender in several weight classes.

In the time since I hung up the gloves for good, “Ken Flo” has been rocking the mic at UFC on Fox broadcast in addition to his hosting duties on UFC Tonight. The man is a humanist, a crusader for natural food products and has a wicked awesome shoe game.

Here is what he had to say about the action set to go down at Fight Night 35.

 

Bleacher Report: As always, let’s start with the main event, where this time around, Luke Rockhold and Costas Philippou will throw down in middleweight action. It’s a big fight where both are coming off losses and looking to climb back into the 185-pound title hunt. I want to start with the stylistic aspects of this fight. Rockhold has a rangy kickboxing style and Philippou comes with power. How do you see things unfolding?

Kenny Florian: When I look at this fight, I have to put attention on where the weaknesses are. The glaring weakness[es] in this matchup are the shortcomings in Philippou‘s ground game and defensive wrestling. He hasn’t been able to put it together, and when he’s not on his wrestling game, he hasn’t been able to let his hands go.

I think it’s going to be very important for Rockhold to really mix things up and look to take the fight to the ground repeatedly against Philippou.

Costas, of course, needs to get on his footwork. When that aspect is going, he’s able to avoid the takedowns much better. He’s going to have to get in and out, and be able to keep himself at the proper range to avoid Rockhold‘s takedown on a consistent basis. But Rockhold is a versatile striker. He’s rangy and has some effective tricks in the stand up department. Philippou is going to have to be on top of his game.

 

B/R: With Chris Weidman standing alone at the top of the mountain and Silva’s future uncertain, it’s a brand-new game in the middleweight division. What do you think this fight means for the bigger divisional picture, and how crucial is this bout in the title hunt for both men?

KF: This fight is very important. Philippou is still trying to hold on to his top-10 ranking, and Rockhold is doing the same. I think Rockhold is a bit further up the ladder, but both need this fight to solidify themselves as major players in this division. Philippou is itching for bigger fights and to get to the top of the ladder, and Rockhold is looking to prove he belongs in the title hunt.

Most people saw Rockhold for the first time when he made his UFC debut against Vitor Belfort. The way that fight ended has been eating at him, and he’s eager to go out there and show people what he really has. He has a big opportunity against Philippou to move up in the rankings and establish himself as a potential star in this division.

 

B/R: I don’t know about you, but the fight that has me stoked beyond belief on this card is the tilt between Brad Tavares and Lorenz Larkin. I think it will be an awesome fight from a stylistic perspective, but there are so many other factors lingering around this bout. Both men are on the cusp of breaking through into the next tier of the division. You’ve been in the spot Tavares and Larkin are in at the current time, and what’s the mindset these fighters are coming into their co-main event showcase with?

KF: This is another important fight at middleweight. Both of these guys are trying to break out of the middle of the pack in the 185-pound division. You look at the consistency of Tavares, and he’s been awesome. But he needs that fight where he really shines and gets that great knockout moment that will put him on the map. I believe he’ll be looking for that—and against a guy who comes forward like Larkin, this fight is going to deliver.

I think both men are going to bring out the best in one another, and we are going to get a great fight for as long as it lasts. Larkin definitely has a finishing style and is very explosive in his attack. But Tavares has a lot of weapons and a ton of potential. I always feel like he’s looking good and winning, but he’s still on the brink of breaking through and getting noticed for the potential and talent he possesses.

 

B/R: Before we move on to another great fight on this card between Derek Brunson and Yoel Romero, can we take a moment to appreciate how stacked up this card really is?

KF: This card is absolutely stacked with great fights. There is the bout between Brunson and Romero you just mentioned, but there are so many others to get excited about. I think the fight between T.J. Dillashaw and Mike Easton is going to be a battle, and Cole Miller versus Sam Sicilia is going to be great as well.

There are also some solid bouts on the prelims, and this is card is really something to look forward to.

 

B/R: You mentioned Dillashaw vs. Easton, so let’s jump on that next. Easton kind of popped onto the scene two years back with some solid performances, but he’s seemed to hit a bit of a wall as of late. T.J. is a guy who is certainly on the up-and-up but came out on the losing end of a split-decision loss against Raphael Assuncao in his last outing. What are the key factors for victory for each fighter in this tilt?

KF: Easton needs to let his hands go. Sometimes he overthinks things a little bit. He needs to pressure because when he’s coming forward, putting together combinations and not looking for that one-punch knockout, he’s truly at his best.

On the other hand, T.J. Dillashaw is just a monster. Like I mentioned with Rockhold, Dillashaw‘s loss in his last fight has just been eating at him. He’s a top-level competitor, man. He’s also one of the brightest young talents in the UFC period in my opinion. I really think highly of Dillashaw, and this fight shows how stacked the bantamweight division is.

Both of these guys need to attack and go forward, but Dillashaw can counter. That’s one of the big differences in this fight. Easton has a power game when he’s on the attack, but Dillashaw can fight going backward as well. He also has a high-level wrestling background he can rely on to mix things up against Easton.

 

B/R: You mentioned it earlier, but let’s put some focus on the fight between Brunson and Romero. The Cuban is pure power and Brunson has this straightforward athletic game going. Both guys like to get in and get out of there in quick fashion. The former Olympian carries a lot of muscle, and we’ve heard analysts knock on that over the years for how difficult that size is to carry into the second half of a fight. Is Romero’s size an example of the gift/curse effect? He has the power to put anyone out with one shot, but if Brunson can take him into deep waters that muscle is going to be a problem. Do you think there is any substance to this?

KF: I think it certainly could be a factor. But we’ve seen him pace himself properly for the most part in his past fights. From what I’ve seen in the UFC, he’s been pacing himself and fighting a little bit more like a veteran. He was also taken down in his last fight and he’s going to have to be careful of this against Brunson, who obviously comes from a wrestling background as well.

That said, Romero is just a different class of wrestler.

This is a guy who won a silver medal in the Olympics and has won the World Championships on a few occasions. He’s a guy with knockout power and great wrestling ability.

It’s a tough matchup for Brunson, but he’s a very intelligent fighter. He mixes things up very well. We’ve seen how explosive he can be, and if he catches Romero with something, he can end the fight as well. Brunson has shown he has the ability to finish the fight with one shot as well.

 

B/R: One of the storylines heading into this card has featured the wild-haired enthusiasm of Charlie Brenneman. “The Spaniard” is making his return to the UFC after being cut from the promotion, and he’s making his official Octagon debut at 155 pounds. He’s proven to have the ability to capitalize on big moments in the past when he upset Rick Story on less than 24 hours’ notice, but what is it like for Brenneman coming into this fight under these circumstances?

KF: I think this is [a] great opportunity for Brenneman to reestablish himself in the UFC in a new division. I think he’s finally in the division he belongs. He was not a big welterweight and had mixed success there. He will be much better suited fighting at 155 pounds.

Where he has struggled in the past was in the striking department. He always seemed unsure on his feet and appeared to rush things when he was forced to stand up. I think he’s matured a little bit, and if he’s able to control his striking and settle down a little bit in there, I think we will see great things from Brenneman. 

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com