UFC on Fox 7 was a violent and almost uniformly fought at a furious pace over the course of twelve preliminary and main card bouts. Eight bouts finished inside of the distance, and the main event was five close-fought, damaging rounds long.
Welterweights Matt Brown and Jordan Mein each got extra $50,000 bonus checks for putting on the fight of the night and Josh Thomson and Yoel Romero each got knockout of the night awards and 50k bonuses.
Thomson returned to the UFC in style by handing Nate Diaz his first ever stoppage loss – a second round TKO stoppage. Romero caught Clifford Starks with a flying knee and won a quick via quick TKO.
Neither Daniel Cormier nor Frank Mir won extra bonuses for their three-round heavyweight bout. Cormier did continue to show that he is a legitimate contender in the division, on the strength of his world-class wrestling skills and speed, despite being vastly undersized.
As they took the center of the Octagon, the smaller Cormier looked like he was facing his uncle in the large former two-time heavyweight champ Mir. Once Cormier got a hold of Mir, over and over again throughout the fight, it was the two-time Olympic wrestler that looked like a man fighting a child.
Cormier clinched with Mir, pressed him against the cage, let go and, on separation, unloaded nasty hooks and uppercuts to the head and body of Mir, along with elbows and knees before clinching back up and rinsing and repeating. As the fight wore on and Mir proved helpless against Cormier’s strategy, referee Herb Dean didn’t like Cormier’s dominance so he tried, as all refs disturbingly seem to be instructed to do, to give Mir more of a chance by breaking up the clinch work quickly but that couldn’t stop the wrestler from continuing to close the distance.
Mir would not be mentally broken despite eating big shots and being ground down, and he fought hard in the third round – throwing hard punches and knees. The ones that did connect, however, were absorbed by Cormier, and he just went back to pressing Mir against the cage and doing short striking work at will.
Cormier fought the smartest fight he could against a much larger, more experienced opponent. The cerebral fighter knew that the middle was his friend. Had he stayed out on the outside, Mir might have used his far superior reach to land big shots.
Had Cormier taken Mir down (he did so once, with a single leg, but did not follow Mir to the ground. Choosing instead, to let the Jiu Jitsu master stand up and eat an over hand right), he would have let the black belt do work where he was most comfortable and dangerous. So, Cormier did what he should have – control the clinch and then use his superior speed to land at will on separation.
I don’t know how long this lightweight/welterweight-heighted phenom will continue to be successful at heavyweight, but so far he can count two former UFC heavyweight champs as wins, as well as the #1 contender to the belt right now, Antonio Silva. It has been fun to watch Cormier figure out how to win fights at heavyweight.
UFC on Fox 7 was a violent and almost uniformly fought at a furious pace over the course of twelve preliminary and main card bouts. Eight bouts finished inside of the distance, and the main event was five close-fought, damaging rounds long.
Welterweights Matt Brown and Jordan Mein each got extra $50,000 bonus checks for putting on the fight of the night and Josh Thomson and Yoel Romero each got knockout of the night awards and 50k bonuses.
Thomson returned to the UFC in style by handing Nate Diaz his first ever stoppage loss – a second round TKO stoppage. Romero caught Clifford Starks with a flying knee and won a quick via quick TKO.
Neither Daniel Cormier nor Frank Mir won extra bonuses for their three-round heavyweight bout. Cormier did continue to show that he is a legitimate contender in the division, on the strength of his world-class wrestling skills and speed, despite being vastly undersized.
As they took the center of the Octagon, the smaller Cormier looked like he was facing his uncle in the large former two-time heavyweight champ Mir. Once Cormier got a hold of Mir, over and over again throughout the fight, it was the two-time Olympic wrestler that looked like a man fighting a child.
Cormier clinched with Mir, pressed him against the cage, let go and, on separation, unloaded nasty hooks and uppercuts to the head and body of Mir, along with elbows and knees before clinching back up and rinsing and repeating. As the fight wore on and Mir proved helpless against Cormier’s strategy, referee Herb Dean didn’t like Cormier’s dominance so he tried, as all refs disturbingly seem to be instructed to do, to give Mir more of a chance by breaking up the clinch work quickly but that couldn’t stop the wrestler from continuing to close the distance.
Mir would not be mentally broken despite eating big shots and being ground down, and he fought hard in the third round – throwing hard punches and knees. The ones that did connect, however, were absorbed by Cormier, and he just went back to pressing Mir against the cage and doing short striking work at will.
Cormier fought the smartest fight he could against a much larger, more experienced opponent. The cerebral fighter knew that the middle was his friend. Had he stayed out on the outside, Mir might have used his far superior reach to land big shots.
Had Cormier taken Mir down (he did so once, with a single leg, but did not follow Mir to the ground. Choosing instead, to let the Jiu Jitsu master stand up and eat an over hand right), he would have let the black belt do work where he was most comfortable and dangerous. So, Cormier did what he should have – control the clinch and then use his superior speed to land at will on separation.
I don’t know how long this lightweight/welterweight-heighted phenom will continue to be successful at heavyweight, but so far he can count two former UFC heavyweight champs as wins, as well as the #1 contender to the belt right now, Antonio Silva. It has been fun to watch Cormier figure out how to win fights at heavyweight.
But if his teammate Cain Velasquez stays champion of the division, maybe we’ll see him drop down at least one weight class and challenge there. He’ll either look even stronger there or will see his speed advantage over most opponents slip away.
Benson Wins Another Close Decision
At this point, UFC lightweight champion Ben Henderson probably feels confident that he appeals to a wide cross-section of judges. He’s won seven consecutive decision in the UFC, his biggest bouts being the most closely-contested.
His number one contender’s fight with Clay Guida in 2011 was close but his two title wins over Frankie Edgar were even closer. Henderson pretty much controlled his late 2012 title defense against Diaz so there was no controversy in his winning that decision.
“Smooth” Henderson’s split decision Saturday night over Gilbert Melendez is probably the closest and most controversial win of the champ’s career, however. I scored both his fights with Edgar for Henderson, as well as his win over Guida. But Saturday’s main event looked like Melendez’ fight.
This writer can see the fantastic, competitive fight conceivably and reasonably being judged in either man’s favor, but the way I saw it was Gilbert clearly winning rounds one and two, and making a good case for himself in rounds three and, especially, five.
Melendez said after the fight that he was, understandably, heart-broken by the decision loss. It is probably little consolation but at least he showed that what he and his teammates have been saying for years as he labored outside of the UFC – that Melendez is at the very top of the sport’s best division – is true.
I didn’t imagine that Melendez would be able to match Henderson’s strength or deal with his speed or kicks, but he did just that – countering sharply, catching most of the champ’s knees and kicks, taking him down and landing his own inside leg kick time and time again. Melendez fought the fight of his life but came away empty-handed.
He finally made it to the UFC and showed that if he’s not the best lightweight in the world, it is, in political election terms, at least a statistical tie between he and one or two other guys. Melendez may not have a strap to show for his winning effort Saturday night, but at least more than a handful of fans got to watch him do what he does this time.
When watching a UFC fight card, we often get caught up in the moment and it’s easy to sometimes make grand proclamations that do not stand the test of time. With that being said, you’d be hard-pressed to find many that would disagree …
When watching a UFC fight card, we often get caught up in the moment and it’s easy to sometimes make grand proclamations that do not stand the test of time. With that being said, you’d be hard-pressed to find many that would disagree if you said that UFC on Fox 7 was the best fight card of 2013.
Earning “Fight of the Night” honors on a card as remarkable as Saturday’s takes a special kind of performance. That’s exactly what Matt Brown and Jordan Mein delivered. Oh yeah, and they did it in just six minutes.
Brown entered the fight on a four-fight winning streak, with his last fight being a second-round knockout of Mike Swick at UFC on Fox 5. Mein came in on a three-fight winning streak, with his last fight being a first-round TKO over Dan Miller, a fighter that had never faced an early stoppage before facing Mein.
Mein opened up by throwing a standing elbow and Brown answered with a left hook that had Mein backing up. From there things got ugly, or beautiful depending on how you like your violence.
Brown stalked Mein down, but when Mein saw an opening, he went to the body and dropped Brown, who recovered and transitioned to a triangle attempt. Mein worked through that and stood, only to be rocked again by the strikes of Brown as the round came to an end.
When the second round began, Brown attacked and positively assaulted Mein, bloodying him up with punches and knees. When Mein dropped to all fours, Brown delivered some nasty elbows to the body before the referee waved the fight off.
Did the short fight deserve “Fight of the Night”? You bet it did.
From time to time, a fight card high in promise delivers. Saturday night was one of those nights. Following an incredible preliminary card, featuring six knockouts in eight fights, the UFC hit Fox for the four-fight main card, with Benson Henderso…
From time to time, a fight card high in promise delivers. Saturday night was one of those nights.
Following an incredible preliminary card, featuring six knockouts in eight fights, the UFC hit Fox for the four-fight main card, with Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez topping the bill in San Jose, Calif.
Prior to the evening’s main event, Matt Brown and Jordan Mein opened the card in one of the most exhilarating fights of the year, Josh Thomson joined the UFC lightweight ranks against Nate Diaz and Daniel Cormier looked to make a grand entrance against former heavyweight champ Frank Mir.
Check out how the four main card fights stacked up in our UFC on Fox 7 power rankings.
Taking you through the action tonight is our good friend Elias Cepeda, who’s giving us round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 7 main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and share your own thoughts in the comments section.
Taking you through the action tonight is our good friend Elias Cepeda, who’s giving us round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 7 main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and share your own thoughts in the comments section.
Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein
Rd 1
Matt Brown starts out feinting with the jab. Both men keep a respectful distance with one another. Jordan lands a standing elbow, Brown lands with two glancing punches, backing up Mein.
Brown pressing forward on Mein, hurting the kid. Mein shows good composure, slipping, ducking and circling away. Brown still follows, swinging wildly. Mein lands back with a right, then a left. Mein getes tagged, loses his balance and mouthpiece and falls. He is back up quickly.
Mein gets his mouth guard back in his mouth after referee John McCarthy stops the action. Brown gets back in Mein’s face with punches and a head kick. Most are dodged or blocked. Brown bleeding over his right eye. Brown with a right hand that hurts Mein. Mein waiting and swinging back once for every ten punches from Brown. Mein lands a big right hand!
Brown clinches up and lands several big knees to the body of Mein. Two minutes left in this wild fight. Mein lands a two punch combo. Mein lands a left to the liver of Brown and drops him!
Matt his face first on the floor in pain. Mein follows up with a choke attempt, then strikes on the ground. Brown is visibly pained and hurt from the body shot. He survives Mein’s onslaught of punches and elbows to the body and face on the ground. Brown slaps on a triangle choke!
Mein escapes! Brown with a knee to what looks to be Mein’s throat. He follows up with punches. Mein is hurt badly. Brown lands a nasty elbow to Mein’s head as the horn sounds.
Rd 2
Brown pushes forward again, lands a huge right hand, then a knee, then a right elbow. Mein falls to the ground. Brown looks for a front choke, lets it go. Mein is on his back, rolls up to all fours. Brown posts on Mein’s head and lands another pointed elbow to the kid’s head. He continues with elbows to the body. His onslaught continues until the referee calls it off.
Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson
Nate is the heavy crowd favorite here in this Bay area match up. Let’s get it on.
Rd 1
Nate trying to keep his distance with punches as Thomson gets to work with a lead roundhouse leg kick to compensate for his reach disadvantage. Josh switching his stances and keeping his head movement. Thomson punches Nate’s lead leg then goes high with a rear right head kick that lands flush on the side of Diaz’ dome!
Two minutes in, Nate begins the taunting and lands a long,lead left punch. Thomson fakes another leg punch and again goes high with a right head kick that lands flush again!
Thomson almost exclusively kicking. Thomson gets a clinch, Diaz forces Thomson against the cage. Diaz using his head until Thomson reverses positions and then separates. Thomson gets behind Diaz and unloads with punches to the back of Diaz’ head.
The two exchange punch flurries on the inside. Thomson moving calmly and looking to explode with his superior speed ont he ground. Diaz stalking. Thomson lands a big left and right punch, Diaz clinches up. With just over thirty seconds left, Thomson gets a take down and falls into Diaz’ full guard. Thomson gets busy right away, opening up the guard and landing elbows. Diaz turtles up and gets to his feet.
Rd 2
Diaz swarms with hooks and they clinch up. Diaz apparently lands a low knee to Thomson’s sack. He gets time to recover, doesn’t take much of it.
Diaz takes the center of the cage, taunting, while Thomson switches up his stance and initiates another clinch. Thomson works to the side of Diaz, pushing him against the cage, landing an elbow and knee. Diaz briefly reverses positions but Thomson takes control back and backs Diaz against the cage again.
Diaz separates. He is bleeding above his right eye. Nate lands a take down! Thomson sits up and cage walks back to his feet immediately. Diaz looks for a standing guillotine but Thomson gets out.
Diaz stalking in the center of the ring again, Thomson circling away from Diaz’ power. Thomson lands another right head kick! This one is full shin on head, as opposed to the first one which was all foot. This one hurt Diaz badly. He stumbles backwards, wobbly. Thomson lands a straight punch, then another that drops Nate.
Thomson jumps all over Diaz with punches and finishes the fight. Wow.
Going low and then finishing high really paid off for Thomson this fight. What a return to the UFC for ‘The Punk.’
Frank Mir. Vs. Daniel Cormier
Rd 1
Mir with an old school Jiu Jitsu push kick. Cormier staying on the outside. Mir kicking a lot, all air, fora guy facing an elite wrestler. Mir with a left knee to the body of Cormier. Cormier eats it and presses Mir against the clinch, using head position to control the much larger opponent.
Cormier with a front head lock into a knee. Cormier unloads with hooks that back up and hurt Mir. Cormier’s speed advantage is as evident as Mir’s size at this point. Cormier pressing Mir up against the cage, throwing in body shorts on separation, then clinching back up with a head and arm Thai plum type of control.
Cormier letting go of the clinch and lands more punches – upper cuts to the body and head. Cormier lands an elbow on separation and gets kneed accidentally in the groin. Referee Herb Dean doesn’t see it and they continue. Cormier gets the clinch again and presses Mir back up against the cage, unleashes another flurry.
Cormier swings and whiffs with a head kick and falls on his back. Mir pounces and goes for a front choke but Cormier stands and escapes. Mir says something to Cormier and smiles.
The horn sounds and Cormier touches gloves with Mir.
Rd 2
Mir lands a tepid read round house leg kick. Cormier does a standing, jumping kick thing that misses Mir completely. Cormier clinches up with Mir again and presses him against the cage. He works some dirty close shots and uses up more of the clock without Mir being able to mount any offense. Smart game plan.
Cormier separates and then quickly clinches up again. Cormier presses Mir against the cage, mixing in a left elbow and a right upper cut to the gut. Cormier separates. Mir thinks to pull guard and a guillotine choke but Cormier gets away.
Cormier clinches up and pushes Mir against the cage again. He separates and lands a big right uppercut to the jaw of Mir. Mir wades in with punches that miss. Cormier counters with one-two that hurts Mir. Cormier follows up with a right body shot.
Herb Dean breaks up Cormier’s next clinch up just two seconds into it; allowing either the crowd or misguided Athletic Commission mandates from above.
Rd 3
Mir comes out aggressive, gets Cormier against the cage but Cormier regains control and presses him against the cage. Mir gets free and comes back aggressively with kicks and knees, giving Cormier pause. Cormier looks stunned from the body shots but still gets control back and presses against the fence.
Mir gets free but Cormier slips under and behind and unloads with hooks. Cormier gets the clinch back and presses Mir against the cage again. Dean breaks them up.
Both men are justifiably fatigued and circle each other for a while. Cormier gets the clinch and gets a single leg take down. He does not follow the dangerous submission artist to the floor, choosing instead to stand up and let Mir back to his feet. Once Mir is back on his feet, Cormier throws a big over hand right.
Cormier gets the clinch again, working short shots. He slips under Frank’s left arm and gets to the back but Dean breaks them up again.
The two clinch up again and the fight ends there.
Decision time up next. Cormier wins a unanimous decision.
Cormier adds another former UFC heavyweight champion to his list of victories. Will he continue to campaign at heavyweight, where his friend and training partner Cain Velasquez is champion? Or will the guy with the welterweight height decide to drop down and dethrone Chael Sonnen as light heavyweight champion?
The main event up next, taters!
Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez
Rd 1
Henderson begins the fight bouncing around, moving his head in his south paw stance. Gilbert lands a leg kick to Henderson’s lead leg. Melendez with a left hook, leg kick combo. The kick landed. Henderson lands a straight left.
Gilbert catches a kick from Benson and takes him down. Gilbert presses down, goes into Henderson’s guard. Bendo backs up on his but towards the cage and ultimately cage walks back up to his feet. As soon as he does, Melendez lands a knee to the head.
Henderson swings and misses with a jab-hook combo. Henderson throws another leg kick that Gilbert catches. He tries to take Henderson down again but Benson hops backwards and defends. As his back touches the cage, Gilbert lets loose a fling knee to the body.
Both are back in the center of the ring, shortly. Gilbert with another, missed-hook-leg kick landing combo. Henderson lands a knee to the body of Gilbert, Gilbert catches it and takes Henderson down. He follows up with a flying knee to the body of the downed Henderson! Henderson gets back to his feet.
Gilbert catches another leg kick from Henderson, fires a straight right down the pipe while holding the right leg and takes Henderson down again at the horn.
Rd 2
Benson comes out feinting a lot with his jab and hook. Gilbert lands with another leg kick after a left hook feint and follows with an over hand right that also lands. Gilbert catches another kick from Henderson but can’t take him down. Melendez follows up with more punches that back up and glance Henderson.
Another left hook feint into leg kick landed for Gilbert. Benson with a knee to the body landed. Benson initiates a clinch but Gilbert pushes away. Benson lands another knee to the body but Gilbert catches it afterwards. Henderson defends the ensuing take down attempt, however.
Henderson with a lead jab to the leg of Melendez. Nice straight two-one from Henderson that glances Melendez. Henderson with a head kick that glances on Melendez.
Henderson shoots for a double on Gilbert, who defends. Gilbert with another leg kick landed.
The two bounce around and measure one another until the horn. Gilbert may have stolen another round from the champion.
Rd 3
Night two-one punch combo from Henderson off the bat! Melendez fires right back and lands with a cross! Melendez with another landed inside leg kick off of the hook feint.
Henderson lowers his rear round house leg kick and knocks Gilbert down with it! Gilbert right back on his feet. Melendez connects with a right hand and stuns Henderson. Another right hand from Melendez!
Henderson gets off of the fence, fires a two-punch combo and then shoots for a double. He presses Gilbert against the cage, working for the double. Gilbert gets down to one knee but stands back up. They are standing and clinching, the champ with knees, Melendez with punches on separation.
Henderson comes up short on a front face kick. Henderson fires a straight, Melendez hooks and misses, Henderson ducks under and shoots for a double but is completely stuffed by Melendez! Henderson is on his ass but gets right back.
The two fire away at each other up along the fence after separating from a nasty clinch with Henderson working under hooks and Melendez pressing down on the champ’s face. Melendez lands a punch to the body.
With a few seconds left in the round, Henderson throws a leg kick that knocks both he and Melendez down. Henderson is quicker to his feet and cross-sides Melendez. The champ senses time running out and unloads with strikes on Melendez.
Time runs out and the champion is still punching! The ref lifts Henderson up and away from Melendez!
Rd 4
Both men get a warning for head butts. Melendez fires a straight, Henderson ducks under and shoots. Gilbert stuffs it.
Henderson lands a body kick, Gilbert catches it. The champ gets free. He throws a knee to the body, Gilbert catches it but again the champ gets free. Henderson with a slapping leg kick.
Another kick from Henderson, a body knee from the challenger. Gilbert sprawls out on a take down attempt and Henderson hustles up to his feet and swarms Gilbert with punches, none landing big.
Lead side kick to Gilbert’s leg from the champ. Another. Both men go for a leg kick, Henderson’s lands flusher and knocks Melendez down. Henderson jumps on him in a flash and takes his back with no hooks in!
Melendez defends the choke, stands and gets free. Gilbert stalks the champ and feints with jabs. Gilbert lands a hook to the body, then an upper cut to the body. He catches a kick from Henderson but the champ gets free. On separation, the champ lands a right hand.
Rd 5
Henderson takes the center of the cage and throws a body kick that Gilbert catches and releases. Rogan points out that Gilbert’s right shoulder looks jacked…is it the shoulder he was out injured with? I can’t remember. Regardless, he fights on.
Big over hand right lands for Gilbert. Benson circles away. Both men feinting, waiting to explode. Three minutes left.
Inside leg kick from the champ, then another after a short left elbow lands. Gilbert stalking Henderson but not able to land anything. Another short elbow from Henderson.
Henderson not landing much, but landing more in this round. Countering with speed and precision on occasion on his stalking challenger. Gilbert catches another knee from Henderson and follows up with a punch.
He stalks Henderson after the champ gets away and lands a flying knee to the body of the champ as he’s pressed against the cage. Henderson circling away, ducking under as Gilbert continues to stalk him. The crowd roars with under a minute left. Gilbert lands a left hook to the head of Henderson. Henderson with another elbow. Melendez with a body shot.
Melendez ends the final round appearing to have evened up the strike score in the stanza and as the man that pushed the action most of the period and fight. Horn sounds. Decision coming up next.
48-47 Melendez. 48-47 Henderson. The tie-breaking judge scores it 48-47 for Benson Henderson.
The defending champion stays undefeated and immediately deflects attention from any possible controversy by proposing to his girl friend. Who, despite thousands of booing fans surrounding them, says yes.
“It was a tough fight…I know how tough Gilbert Melendez is…I love those guys, the Skrap Pack. They bring it every single time,” the champion tells Rogan.
Thanks for partying with us, nation. What do you think of the decision? I think Gilbert clearly won the first two rounds and probably closed rounds three and/or five strong enough to get one more round and earn the win.
Chael Sonnen says that he feels Gilbert won the first three rounds and so does Brian Stann. So, there’s that.
Saturday’s UFC on FOX event—and most UFC events for that matter—are akin to a casino floor on any given day of the week: Everyone there is gambling, but they’re playing for different stakes.Some are sitting at low-dollar tables while others…
Saturday’s UFC on FOX event—and most UFC events for that matter—are akin to a casino floor on any given day of the week: Everyone there is gambling, but they’re playing for different stakes.
Some are sitting at low-dollar tables while others are playing for minimums that are more than most people would ever think of risking in their lifetime. While all the fighters competing this weekend have something on the line, the stakes are very different, depending on which pair of fighters you’re focusing in on.
With the UFC lightweight title on the line in the main event between Benson Henderson and former Strikeforce champion Gilbert Melendez, there is an obvious amount of risk and reward involved. The winner wakes up on Sunday as the 155-pound champion and the loser shuffles back into the line of future contenders in a weight class that has become one of the deepest under the UFC banner.
In a handful of the other bouts featured at UFC on Fox 7, the stakes become a bit more complex. In these fights, a win will open the door to greater options where a loss will have a drastic impact on the immediate futures for the fighters involved.
Here is a look at three tilts this weekend in San Jose where there is plenty on the line.
A war of words between Mir and Cormier helped build a buzz around their heavyweight collision on Saturday, but it is the potential outcomes for both fighters that will ultimately make this fight appealing.
The 34-year-old Cormier will be making his highly anticipated UFC debut on Saturday. After storming through the Strikeforce Challengers Series and then stepping in as an alternate to win the promotion’s Heavyweight Grand Prix, “D.C.” put himself in a position to not only get to the sport’s biggest stage but to step directly into the heavyweight division’s upper tier in the process.
The Louisiana native’s debut will come with a solid amount of expectation attached. A victory over Mir would validate Cormier as one of the top heavyweight fighters in the world and allow him to control the next step of his career. With friend and AKA teammate Cain Velasquez currently holding the heavyweight strap, Cormier has hinted he would potentially drop down to light heavyweight to face champion Jon Jones should he be successful in San Jose.
On the other hand, a loss to Mir would throw these options into the scrap pile. If Cormier comes out flat in his Octagon debut and is defeated by the former two-time champion, the loss wouldn’t push him out of the top 10 rankings, but it would certainly serve to derail the momentum he’s built.
The circumstances surrounding the fight are a bit more drastic for Frank Mir. For the past seven years the Las Vegas native has kept himself on the radar of the heavyweight title picture—with Mir never being one or two wins away from another championship opportunity. That could all change after Saturday night.
With a loss to Junior dos Santos in his most recent outing, a second consecutive setback to Cormier would put Mir farther away from a title shot than he has ever been since entering the UFC. That being said, a win over Cormier would put him right back in the heat of the title race and it becomes easy to see why this fight is so risky from his perspective.
Another interesting note comes in Mir switching his training camp to Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque. The change is Mir’s way of re-inventing himself and keeping pace with a sport that is constantly evolving. A win on Saturday night makes it clear that Mir still belongs with the best heavyweights in the world, but a loss to Cormier will make that a heavy question to answer.
Chad Mendes vs. Darren Elkins
Over the past year, the featherweight division has become one of the hottest weight classes in the UFC. While Jose Aldo has continued to reign over his 145-pound peers, a handful of fighters have been scrapping their way towards contention, all looking for the next shot at the Brazilian phenom.
Two fighters that are looking to take the next step in the divisional title race will square-off on Saturday night when Chad Mendes steps in against Darren Elkins. Both have proven their mettle in the featherweight division and their clash at UFC on Fox 7 will determine whose name stays “in the mix” and who gets pushed to the back of the line.
It is a fight neither can afford to lose—and it’s not only for the reason listed above. There is a unique circumstance surrounding the bout between Mendes and Elkins, one that basically comes down to name recognition.
Where fans are somewhat familiar with Mendes—Elkins is at the opposite end of the spectrum. The 28-year-old Indiana-native has collected five consecutive wins over solid competition but has failed to garner any traction with the UFC fan base. When Clay Guida dropped out of the bout with the Sacramento-based fighter, it became the perfect opportunity for Elkins to kill the proverbial two birds with one stone.
A victory over Mendes not only launches Elkins into the title race, but gives him a victory over a fighter fans recognize. Not taking anything away from Steven Siler, Antonio Carvalho or ZhangTiequan—but Mendes is in much different league as far as name value goes.
At the same time, a loss to the former No. 1 contender would wipe out nearly two years of progress for Elkins, and undoubtedly send him back to the other side of relevance at 145-pounds. While it may seem unfair to send a guy to the back of the line after one high-profile loss, the reality of the mixed martial arts business can be a cruel world, and this is the price one pays for a lack of name recognition.
Big fights provide big opportunity, but also carry a tremendous amount of risk at the same time.
Things aren’t much different for Mendes. While the Team Alpha Male staple may have the advantage in the profile visibility department, “Money” is still struggling for respect in the bigger picture. The 27-year-old has been a force in the featherweight division since his days in the WEC, and the only loss of his career has come against pound-for-pound great Jose Aldo at UFC 142.
With the only loss on his record coming against a dominant champion the likes of Aldo—and having won two consecutive bouts since—it seems odd that Mendes isn’t drawing more attention as a potential title contender. But for as strange as it sounds, that doesn’t make it any less true.
Ricardo Lamas and Cub Swanson putting on impressive runs has drawn solid attention to the division. When former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar dropped down to face the young Brazilian champion at UFC 156, more eyes were brought to the division than ever before. The biggest problem where Mendes is concerned, is that none of the previously mentioned factors for the increased visibility to the featherweight division had anything to do with him—a condition he has to change on Saturday night.
There is no doubt the 27-year-old Californian is one of the top 145-pound fighters on the planet, but Mendes has to remind UFC fans why he matters in the title race. While a win over Elkins will not catapult him into the lead for the next title shot, it would certainly set him up for a high-profile showdown in his outing.
On the other hand, a loss to a relative unknown like Elkins would be disastrous.
Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein
In 2012, there were few stories in the mixed martial arts community better than what Matt Brown accomplished. The former The Ultimate Fighter alum bounced back from a rough streak which put him on the brink of unemployment, to winning four consecutive fights in a calendar year.
He capped off this impressive run with a brutal knockout of veteran Mike Swick at UFC on Fox 5 in December and the victory put the 32-year-old Ohio native in position to take a step up in competition. “The Immortal” was originally slated to face British Slugger Dan Hardy on this weekend’s card but a heart condition ultimately pulled “The Outlaw” from the bout and Jordan Mein stepped in to fill the void.
While his opponent has changed, the bout still holds a tremendous amount of sway as to what will come next for Brown. A victory in San Jose would take him from the middle tier of the division and solidify his place in the top 10 of one of the deepest weight classes in the UFC. It is a position Brown has been on a mission to reach and with his bout against Mein coming this weekend, he is only one step away from making it a reality.
On the flip side, a loss to the young Canadian prospect would push that dream back a few steps. And with the competition level in the welterweight division continuing to increase, a setback of any nature will be a difficult hurdle to overcome.
In terms of risk and reward, there is little downside to the bout for Jordan Mein. The 23-year-old made an impressive debut when he starched veteran Dan Miller last month at UFC 158 and “Young Gun” is wasting no time getting back into the Octagon for another go. The fight with Brown will come just north of a month since Mein defeated the New Jersey native and stepping up on short notice to take the fight has created a tremendous opportunity for the surging prospect.
A victory over Brown would put Mein on the fast track in the welterweight division. While a win in San Jose wouldn’t put Mein in the division’s upper tier, it would allow him to bypass the bulk of the fighters hovering in the middle level of the weight class and set up a high-profile opponent for his next outing.
Defeating Brown would also give Mein the “Chris Leben in 2010″ vibe where “The Crippler” defeated YoshihiroAkiyama and Aaron Simpson three weeks apart.
Should Mein lose to Brown at UFC on Fox 7, there shouldn’t be too much of a fallout. Taking fights on short notice is always a risky affair, and with Mein being a prospect, the critique after losing to a fighter on the verge of top-10 status would most likely be thin. This makes the bout with Brown all the more appealing where Mein is concerned and bouts typically take on a different light when one of the participants has little or nothing to lose.
UFC on Fox 7 looms just days away and today on MMA’s Great Debate Radio, two fighters from the card join the show, as Daniel Cormier and Matt Brown are featured as guests. Following an undefeated run through Strikeforce, including his victory in the he…
UFC on Fox 7 looms just days away and today on MMA’s Great Debate Radio, two fighters from the card join the show, as Daniel Cormier and Matt Brown are featured as guests.
Following an undefeated run through Strikeforce, including his victory in the heavyweight grand prix, Cormier will finally make his UFC debut this weekend.
Challenging Cormier will be former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir, who looks to reestablish himself in the division following a loss to Junior Dos Santos in his last fight in 2012.
Cormier will address Mir’s recent comments about his finishing ability as well as his continued efforts to help save wrestling in the Olympics.
Also on the show today, UFC welterweight Matt Brown stops by to discuss his upcoming fight against former Strikeforce fighter Jordan Mein.
Brown was originally scheduled to meet Dan Hardy at UFC on Fox 7, but now gets a late replacement instead. He’ll comment on the switch and why he believes Mein is actually a more dangerous opponent.
The debate also takes center stage on today’s show with all new topics surrounding UFC on Fox 7 this weekend.
Who is in the biggest must win situation at UFC on Fox 7?
Fight Pick: Matt Brown vs. Jordan Mein?
Fight Pick: Josh Thomson vs. Nate Diaz?
Should Daniel Cormier remain at heavyweight or attempt the move to light heavyweight after this fight with Frank Mir?
Fight Pick: Daniel Cormier vs. Frank Mir?
Will not finishing fights bite Benson Henderson in terms of his overall selling value?
Fight Pick: Benson Henderson vs. Gilbert Melendez?
This is MMA’s Great Debate for Thursday, April 18, 2013.
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Saturday’s UFC on FOX event—and most UFC events for that matter—are akin to a casino floor on any given day of the week: Everyone there is gambling, but they’re playing for different stakes.