Filed under: UFC, NewsA pair of welterweight bouts in Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope and Justin Edwards vs. Mike Stumpf has been lined up for UFC 143, the UFC announced Friday.
The two verbally agreed-upon bouts happens on the Feb. 4 SuperBowl weekend card…
The two verbally agreed-upon bouts happens on the Feb. 4 SuperBowl weekend card in Las Vegas, headlined by Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit for the interim UFC welterweight title.
Brown (12-11) out of The Ultimate Fighter season seven has struggled the last two years, dropping four of his last five fights. In his most recent fight, Brown tapped out to a Seth Baczynski guillotine choke at UFC 139 in November. Despite the losses, Brown remains on the UFC roster for his always-game fighting style and willingness to take fights as a replacement.
Cope (5-2), who competed on TUF 13 earlier this year, won his UFC debut against Chuck O’Neil in June, but lost by TKO to Che Mills at UFC 138 in November.
Edwards (7-2), also out of TUF 13, went one for three in UFC fights in 2011. His big win came against Wanderlei Silva’s prospect Jorge Lopez at UFC Fight Night 25 in September. His last fight was a decision loss to John Maguire at UFC 138.
Stumpf (11-3) made his UFC debut in September, losing by triangle choke to T.J. Waldburger at UFC Fight Night 25. The 28-year-old fights out of Team Curran in Crystal Lake, Ill.
Round 1: Referee Josh Rosenthal gives the signal and we’re underway. Pace looks to land a looping hook when Torres comes in, and he finally sticks it after several attempts. “You got his attention, Nick,” says his corner. Torres jabs him back and lands a nice straight right. Leg kick by Torres buckles Pace. Torres lands the straight right again, and Pace comes in swinging before looking for the takedown. Torres defends well with his back on the fence, working short elbows and punches. Pace seems to be holding and hoping here. Torres uses a kimura to flip Pace onto his back, then they scramble up. Pace is bleeding out of his mouth. They trade right hands in the final seconds of the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Torres.
Seth Baczynski vs. Matt Brown
Round 1: Brown paws his way forward behind a jab and Baczynski comes over the top with a right. That gave him something to think about. Baczynski looks for a takedown, but settles for a clinch against the fence. Nice elbow by Baczynski in close. Baczynski steps back and launches a punch combo, but Brown does a pretty decent job of bobbing and weaving. Baczynski closes the distance again and scoops Brown up for a takedown. Baczynski looks to strike from the top, but Brown pulls off a nifty little sweep and gets to his feet. He lets Baczynski up shortly thereafter, and they exchange blows on the feet with Baczynski landing a pretty left hook counter before looking for the clinch again. Knee to the body by Baczynski, and Brown makes the ‘that was my testicles’ face. The ref encourages Baczynski to not do that anymore. They end the round with Baczynski tentatively looking for a standing guillotine. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Baczynski.
Round 2: Brown looks to start faster in the second frame. He gets busy with strikes right off the bat, then shoots and secures a takedown of his own. Baczynski grabs for a guillotine on the way down, and Brown seems perhaps not as concerned with defending against it as he should be. Baczynski adjusts and squeezes with everything he’s got, and Brown is forced to tap.
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:42 of round two
Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo
Round 1: Castillo goes to work with kicks to the legs and body early, but promptly slips and ends up on his butt. Bailey rushes in and gets himself taken down, though he’s back up quickly. Castillo lifts him up and slams him back down, then does it again when Bailey rises again a few seconds later. Castillo working from half-guard, but he’s hesitant to give Bailey the space to escape and so his striking from the top is limited. Castillo sits back and gets a few consecutive blows in. The crowd digs it, sparse though it is this early on. He pounds away at Bailey with hammer fists, and Bailey seems to be losing steam. Castill takes mount briefly, but can’t stay there. Castillo goes back to the hammer fists from half-guard and Bailey seems to be folding up. Less than ten seconds left in the round, but Bailey is just covering up and hoping to be saved by the bell. The ref isn’t going to let him do that for long, and this one is over.
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (punches) at 4:52 of round one
In his post-fight interview, Castillo tells Joe Rogan he felt “disrespected” by Bailey showing up at 138 for Friday’s weigh-ins. Bailey paid for that oversight with 20 percent of his purse, and now he has a loss on top of it.
Round 1: Referee Josh Rosenthal gives the signal and we’re underway. Pace looks to land a looping hook when Torres comes in, and he finally sticks it after several attempts. “You got his attention, Nick,” says his corner. Torres jabs him back and lands a nice straight right. Leg kick by Torres buckles Pace. Torres lands the straight right again, and Pace comes in swinging before looking for the takedown. Torres defends well with his back on the fence, working short elbows and punches. Pace seems to be holding and hoping here. Torres uses a kimura to flip Pace onto his back, then they scramble up. Pace is bleeding out of his mouth. They trade right hands in the final seconds of the round. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Torres.
Seth Baczynski vs. Matt Brown
Round 1: Brown paws his way forward behind a jab and Baczynski comes over the top with a right. That gave him something to think about. Baczynski looks for a takedown, but settles for a clinch against the fence. Nice elbow by Baczynski in close. Baczynski steps back and launches a punch combo, but Brown does a pretty decent job of bobbing and weaving. Baczynski closes the distance again and scoops Brown up for a takedown. Baczynski looks to strike from the top, but Brown pulls off a nifty little sweep and gets to his feet. He lets Baczynski up shortly thereafter, and they exchange blows on the feet with Baczynski landing a pretty left hook counter before looking for the clinch again. Knee to the body by Baczynski, and Brown makes the ‘that was my testicles’ face. The ref encourages Baczynski to not do that anymore. They end the round with Baczynski tentatively looking for a standing guillotine. MMA Fighting scores it 10-9 for Baczynski.
Round 2: Brown looks to start faster in the second frame. He gets busy with strikes right off the bat, then shoots and secures a takedown of his own. Baczynski grabs for a guillotine on the way down, and Brown seems perhaps not as concerned with defending against it as he should be. Baczynski adjusts and squeezes with everything he’s got, and Brown is forced to tap.
Seth Baczynski def. Matt Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:42 of round two
Shamar Bailey vs. Danny Castillo
Round 1: Castillo goes to work with kicks to the legs and body early, but promptly slips and ends up on his butt. Bailey rushes in and gets himself taken down, though he’s back up quickly. Castillo lifts him up and slams him back down, then does it again when Bailey rises again a few seconds later. Castillo working from half-guard, but he’s hesitant to give Bailey the space to escape and so his striking from the top is limited. Castillo sits back and gets a few consecutive blows in. The crowd digs it, sparse though it is this early on. He pounds away at Bailey with hammer fists, and Bailey seems to be losing steam. Castill takes mount briefly, but can’t stay there. Castillo goes back to the hammer fists from half-guard and Bailey seems to be folding up. Less than ten seconds left in the round, but Bailey is just covering up and hoping to be saved by the bell. The ref isn’t going to let him do that for long, and this one is over.
Danny Castillo def. Shamar Bailey via TKO (punches) at 4:52 of round one
In his post-fight interview, Castillo tells Joe Rogan he felt “disrespected” by Bailey showing up at 138 for Friday’s weigh-ins. Bailey paid for that oversight with 20 percent of his purse, and now he has a loss on top of it.
Fresh off the UFC’s big network debut on FOX, the world’s premier MMA organization is back to doing what it knows best: pay-per-views.
On paper, UFC 139 looks like one of the better cards in recent months, but there’s no shortage of fighters who need a win in a bad, bad way. Who are they, what are their chances, and what’s likely to become of them if they can’t pull out a W in San Jose on Saturday night? For answers, we turn to the Cut List.
Wanderlei Silva (33-11-1 1 NC, 3-6 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Cung Le Why he’s in danger: UFC president Dana White has made it clear that he thinks Silva would be better off in retirement, and, you have to admit, the boss makes a compelling case. Silva’s 35 (but an old 35, in fighting years), he’s lost six of his last eight (and been knocked out in four of those six), and he really has nothing left to prove in this sport. What, is he going to become UFC middleweight champion? Not unless about 10 other UFC 185ers suddenly decide to go live in a monastery and live quiet, non-violent lives somewhere in Belgium. As great as Silva was, and as beloved as he still is by fans, there’s no reason for him to keep getting knocked out at this stage of his life. He doesn’t need the money or the prestige, and he’s too big a name to put in against lesser competition. That puts him in a tough spot, career-wise. If he can’t beat Le and show that his fists are still full of fury and his jaw is not made of glass, it might be time for White to sit him down and give him the Chuck Liddell speech. Outlook: Grim. I’ll be honest, I don’t like his chances against Le. At least, not unless Le comes to this fight straight from a movie set. Silva still has the one-punch power, but Le has the ability to keep him at a distance and beat him up over several rounds. Once it’s over, I’d love to see Silva take his legacy and go home. He’s one of the all-time greats. There’s nothing left to prove.
Martin Kampmann (17-5, 8-4 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Rick Story Why he’s in danger: On paper, he’s one defeat away from the dreaded three-fight losing streak. In reality, he’s probably the best losing welterweight the UFC has had over the last year. His current skid started when he lost a questionable decision to Jake Shields in October of 2010. Though you could make a case that Shields deserved to win that wrestling match, it’s harder to make an argument for Diego Sanchez, who looked like he’d gotten his face stuck in a ceiling fan by the end of his three-round battle with Kampmann. I’m still not sure how Sanchez got that decision, and I suspect Kampmann is equally baffled. That was in March of this year and this is Kampmann’s first trip back into the cage since then, so it would be nice if he could get his hand raised for the first time in a year and a half. Against Rick Story, however, he faces another opponent who’s not afraid to go out there and get his wrestle on. Can Story do to him what he did to Thiago Alves? If so, then a somewhat comically unfortunate losing streak could turn into a seriously concerning one. Outlook: Optimistic. Even if Kampmann does drop a decision here, the UFC sees his talent and it isn’t going to cast him out so easily. I like his chances to stuff Story’s takedowns and force him into a kickboxing match, which Kampmann should win every time.
Jason Brilz (18-4-1, 3-3 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Ryan Bader Why he’s in danger: Brilz has also lost two straight, but like Kampmann his is a losing skid with an asterisk. It started with a controversial decision loss against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a bout that many thought he deserved to win, and which Dana White held up as proof that the UFC knows what it’s doing when it puts together these fight cards, so maybe we shouldn’t judge them until they’re over. Despite the L on his record, the UFC could not have been more pleased with that Fight of the Night performance from Brilz. Unfortunately, he followed it up with a quick KO loss to Vladimir Matyushenko in April, so in the span of just 20 seconds some of that good will likely evaporated. But hey, anybody can catch one on the chin, right? That doesn’t mean he’s suddenly garbage. Trouble is, Brilz is facing fellow wrestler and fellow losing streak-owner Ryan Bader. It could easily turn into a snoozer of a wrestling match, and if it does the loser might feel the brunt of the UFC’s anguish over it. Then again, it could be the kind of fight where two wrestlers end up brawling for 15 minutes, and Brilz could, even in defeat, once again be White’s hero at the post-fight presser. Outlook: Decent. Brilz is clearly a talented athlete, but he does not give one the impression that fighting is his life, probably because it isn’t. He’s got a job and a family, and this is more an interesting side gig for him. That might make the UFC reluctant to keep bringing him back if he gets knocked out here, and it also might make him less likely to get fired up about getting back on top. Matt Brown (12-10, 5-4 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Seth Baczynski Why he’s in danger: Look at his record. He pulled himself up from the brink with a decision win over John Howard, and he looked pretty good doing it, too. But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s lost three of his last four in the UFC, and most of the guys he has beaten in the Octagon have since been encouraged to seek their employment elsewhere. The win, in conjunction with his fighting style, give him a little breathing room, but not much. Baczynski’s already been cut from the UFC once, but came back and got a win in September to shore up his spot. If Brown can’t beat a guy on the cusp, the UFC might take a look at the numbers and decide it’s time to make room for some new blood at welterweight. Outlook: Pessimistic. Brown has shown flashes of real talent followed by long stretches of mediocrity. What he needs right now is consistency. What he needs is a win followed by a bunch more wins. But my guess is that whether it happens now or a year from now, the UFC will soon decide that he’s had enough chances.
Shamar Bailey (12-4, 1-1 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Danny Castillo Why he’s in danger: If your lone loss in the UFC is to Evan Dunham, you aren’t doing so badly. But if your lone win is over Ryan McGillivray, well, it kind of evens out. Bailey had a short, fairly undistinguished stay in Strikeforce and then started out hot in his run on TUF 13, but things didn’t go his way in reality TV-land. Still, he got a shot on the finale, won a decision, then lost a decision against his first real UFC opponent in Dunham. Now he faces Castillo in what could be a fight that sways the UFC one way or the other on him, and it’s a bout in which oddsmakers favor Castillo by a 3-1 margin. Outlook: Grim. If he gets beat here — and chances are he will — the UFC has no shortage of hungry young lightweights out there just itching to get his spot. He’ll need to show them something memorable, or else prove the oddsmakers wrong with a win.
If nothing else, Matt Brown may have bought himself some more time in the UFC today.
The struggling welterweight who recently rebounded from three straight losses with a hard-fought win over John Howard at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry in June has stepped up to replace injured Pascal Krauss against British prospect John Hathaway (12-1) at UFC 138 in November. In spite of the fact that a loss will drop Brown (12-10) to 1-4 in his past five outings, it’s likely that UFC president Dana White may spare him from the chopping block should that happen much like he did Tito Ortiz who lost to Rashad Evans earlier this month at UFC 133 after he replaced an injured Phil Davis.
If nothing else, Matt Brown may have bought himself some more time in the UFC today.
The struggling welterweight who recently rebounded from three straight losses with a hard-fought win over John Howard at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry in June has stepped up to replace injured Pascal Krauss against British prospect John Hathaway (12-1) at UFC 138 in November. In spite of the fact that a loss will drop Brown (12-10) to 1-4 in his past five outings, it’s likely that UFC president Dana White may spare him from the chopping block should that happen much like he did Tito Ortiz who lost to Rashad Evans earlier this month at UFC 133 after he replaced an injured Phil Davis.
News of the bout was first reported by MMAJunkie.
Typically, the UFC has made it a policy to cut fighters after compiling three losses in a row, although there have been exceptions to the rule depending on the situation *cough* Joe Stevenson *cough* Dan Hardy *cough*, but besides being a decent fighter, Brown hasn’t really done anything exceptional to warrant the job protection he’s been afforded. Am I right, Gerald Harris?
“The Immortal” will have to pull out all the stops to beat Hathaway, who got his first and only taste of defeat at the hands of veteran Mike Pyle by decision last October at UFC 120 after upsetting Diego Sanchez at UFC 114 that May.
Filed under: UFC, MMA Fighting Exclusive, NewsWelterweight Matt Brown has agreed to face John Hathaway at UFC 138 after the Brit’s original opponent, Pascal Krauss, recently pulled out of the fight due to a shoulder injury, MMA Fighting confirmed with …
Welterweight Matt Brown has agreed to face John Hathaway at UFC 138 after the Brit’s original opponent, Pascal Krauss, recently pulled out of the fight due to a shoulder injury, MMA Fighting confirmed with sources close to the event.
UFC 138, headlined by Chris Leben vs. Mark Munoz, takes place Nov. 5 at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England.
Hathaway (15-1) defeated Kris McCray at UFC Fight Night 24 in March to get back on track after suffering the first loss of his career against Mike Pyle at UFC 120 last October.
Brown (12-10) recently snapped a three-fight losing streak when he defeated John Howard at UFC Live on Versus 4. The former TUF cast member is 5-4 in the UFC.
Also scheduled for the UFC’s return to England is Brad Pickett vs. Renan Barao and Thiago Alves vs. newcomer Papy Abedi.
Filed under: UFCBetween Nate Marquardt’s murky, ongoing professional nightmare and Cheick Kongo’s dramatic comeback in the main event of UFC Live, it was a weekend to remember in the MMA world.
Now, after a good night’s sleep filled with terrifying up…
Between Nate Marquardt’s murky, ongoing professional nightmare and Cheick Kongo’s dramatic comeback in the main event of UFC Live, it was a weekend to remember in the MMA world.
Now, after a good night’s sleep filled with terrifying uppercut-related dreams, we return to the weekend’s action and inaction alike to ask ourselves the eternal question: what the heck happened last night?
Answers may (or may not) lie with the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from UFC Live.
Biggest Winner: Charlie Brenneman
What do you say when you get the call to sub in for the co-main event on a day’s notice? Most of us might have suddenly remembered that we had somewhere else to be, but Brenneman stepped up and made it count. He out-wrestled and out-hustled Rick Story, who seemed surprised that this guy was taking the fight so seriously. It was not only the biggest win of Brenneman’s career, it was also yet another reminder to every fighter on the UFC roster to be ready for absolutely anything at any time. You sign to fight on the prelims? That doesn’t mean you won’t be in the top spot by the time fight night rolls around. That’s just how it goes in this insane sport of ours. One minute you’re weighing in just to get your show money, and the next you have a victory over the UFC’s up-and-comer of the month. Like they say, luck is when preparedness meets opportunity meets a good double-leg takedown.
Biggest (Active) Loser: Rick Story
Some said it was a no-lose situation for Brenneman. Really, it was a no-win situation for Story. He’d stepped up on short notice to face Marquardt — a former title contender at middleweight who found himself in need of an opponent at welterweight. But when Marquardt got pulled under mysterious circumstances, Story went from fighting up the ladder to fighting down it. There’s no other way he would have gone from a win over Thiago Alves to a fight with Brenneman, who was 2-1 in the UFC before Sunday night. Story thought he’d be the one with everything to gain, but Marquardt’s “medical” problems fixed that. Through no fault of his own, Story’s great opportunity turned into a raw deal this weekend. Then his lack of a strong takedown defense did the rest.
Biggest (Inactive) Loser: Nate Marquardt
All we know for sure at the moment is that he wasn’t medically cleared to fight, and that he knew he probably wouldn’t be medically cleared to fight, at least according to the Pennsylvania Athletic Commission officials. We also know that Dana White is “disgusted” with him, which tells us that the likely culprit is not something as innocent as a failed eye exam. Marquardt and his team have chosen to hold their tongues until Tuesday’s MMA Hour appearance (you’re not going to want to miss that, by the way), but unless he has a ridiculously good explanation for all this, Marquardt’s probably going to come out looking like the bad guy on this one. He already lost his UFC gig at a very limited time for MMA free agency, and now he has the ire of the fans to deal with on top of it. It’s a rough time for Nate the Great and, depending on what he has to say on Ariel Helwani’s show tomorrow, it may only get rougher.
Most Amazing: Cheick Kongo
How he even had his legs under him well enough to throw a decent punch after getting rolled up by a couple of Pat Barry bombs, I’ll never know. How he managed to get enough on that punch to knock Barry out cold — a feat never before accomplished in either MMA or kickboxing — that might remain one of the world’s great mysteries. Kongo said afterward that he was never knocked out, but then again he also said that he didn’t remember much after Barry’s right hand dropped him to his knees. He did seem to be briefly separated from his senses, but they became reacquainted with one another just in time to take advantage of Barry’s reckless aggression, and the result was one of the greatest comebacks in MMA history. After the fight Kongo seemed more freaked out than elated, sort of like a man who had narrowly avoided a horrible wreck on the freeway, then pulled off at the next exit and bought the winning lottery ticket at the first gas station he saw. I’m not sure if this one memorable win is enough to reinvigorate Kongo’s somewhat stagnant career, but it sure saved this fight card, for what that’s worth.
Most in Need of a Hug: Pat Barry
If I ever need to teach a robot how to recognize human sadness (shut up, it could happen), I’ll just show it the look on Barry’s face right after the Kongo fight. He didn’t need to say a word — all the hurt and crushing disappointment was right there in his perma-pout lower lip and his glassy eyes. One look at him and you almost know how it must feel to come so close to a great victory — to have it just outside your reach as you chase it like a toddler after a butterfly — and then to end up on the business end of a highlight that will live on in UFC hype clips from now until when super-intelligent apes enslave us and take over the planet. Barry is one of the nicest, most emotionally honest fighters in the game, which makes it all the more difficult to see him go through something like that. It’s just another reminder that of all the things this sport does with great efficiency and regularity, its ability to break your heart in a few seconds flat is still unparalleled.
Most Impressive in Defeat: Nik Lentz
As anyone who jumped on Facebook in time to watch the prelim fights already knows, a) your ex-girlfriend is only pretending to be so happy in all those photos, and b) Lentz was the victim of one of the most egregious referee errors in recent memory. Charles Oliveira nailed him with an obvious illegal knee, and the ref did absolutely nothing as Lentz crumpled up and Oliveira finished him off. The hell of it is, right up until that point Lentz was engaged in the most exciting fight of his UFC career. His slow-paced, clinch-heavy fighting style has been the biggest knock against him so far, which makes it sadly ironic that his first loss in the UFC should come in a thrilling effort on the undercard. At least, it’s a loss for now. If the Pennsylvania commission has any sense at all, it will overturn that one on appeal. This isn’t even one of those cases where you need a lengthy slow-motion video review to sort things out. A flipbook of Oliveira’s transgression and the ref’s inaction should do just fine.
Least Impressive in Victory: Matt Brown
After three straight losses, you can see why he might have felt the need to fight a little conservatively and get the win. But the performance that Brown and John Howard put on quickly went from conservative to anemic. One of Brown’s greatest strengths as a fighter — in fact, it may be what’s allowed him to hang around through so many defeats of late — is his exciting, go-for-broke style. If he abandons that in favor of a style that results in these narrow decision wins, he better make sure he never ends up losing another fight. While the UFC will tolerate you through a few interesting losses, it has far less patience for boring victories.
Best Walk-Off Knockout: Matt Mitrione
He must have felt a sinking feeling in his stomach when he saw the uppercut that Kongo used to put Barry to sleep. Before that punch, Mitrione had the $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus all but spent already. Then Kongo landed one blow and took that money right out of his bank account like a vengeful divorce lawyer. Bummer. The good news is, Meathead has another highlight-reel finish, and he even got to show his compassionate side by leaving Morecraft alone as he struggled to regain his wits. Sure, you could argue that it’s the referee’s job to decide when the fight’s over, but it’s not like all the referees had been living up to their end of the bargain by that point. Fortunately for the dazed and vulnerable Morecraft, Mitrione knew when to walk away.
A pair of welterweight bouts in Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope and Justin Edwards vs. Mike Stumpf has been lined up for UFC 143, the UFC announced Friday.
SAN JOSE, Calif. — This is the 
Fresh off the UFC’s big network debut on FOX, the world’s premier 
Between Nate Marquardt’s murky, ongoing professional nightmare and