It’s time once again to examine your portfolio now that UFC 135 is in the books. Take this opportunity to maximize your ROI by heeding the advice below. Keep reading to find out if you’re sitting on a gold mine or if you need to take that dog to a nice farm where he can roam. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs so lets play another game of Buy, Sell, Hold.
Last night Jonny “Bones” Jones did what no fighter has done since 2007 — successfully defend the UFC light heavyweight championship. (I don’t care what you say, Shogun won that fight!) I know I’m supposed to tell you to “Buy low, sell high”, and Jones is at an all-time high right now. Just know that the champ’s stock is as low as it will ever be for at least the next ten or so years. Crisp, unorthodox striking combined with superb, tactical grappling contained inside a combat vessel in its prime — need I say more?
(Mess with a bull and you’ll get the horns; mess with a Diaz and you’ll get a Stockton Slap.)
It’s time once again to examine your portfolio now that UFC 135 is in the books. Take this opportunity to maximize your ROI by heeding the advice below. Keep reading to find out if you’re sitting on a gold mine or if you need to take that dog to a nice farm where he can roam. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs so lets play another game of Buy, Sell, Hold.
Last night Jonny “Bones” Jones did what no fighter has done since 2007 — successfully defend the UFC light heavyweight championship. (I don’t care what you say, Shogun won that fight!) I know I’m supposed to tell you to “Buy low, sell high”, and Jones is at an all-time high right now. Just know that the champ’s stock is as low as it will ever be for at least the next ten or so years. Crisp, unorthodox striking combined with superb, tactical grappling contained inside a combat vessel in its prime — need I say more?
Gordon Gekko said “Greed is good.” and I’m not about to argue. I want to make more money so I’m telling you to hold Jackson’s stock so I can sell all of mine before you do. The stock market is a brutal mistress. Her cutthroat ways will entice you to slit her throat with the dagger she left in your back. “Rampage” was motivated to get his belt baaaaaaacccckkkk. This we know. Now that he got subbed by a ‘kid’, his ego has shriveled to the size of a testicle plagued by hypogonadism. He’ll fight again and he’ll probably win, but the risk is not worth the reward of being a shareholder.
No one thinks Koscheck is Georges St. Pierre but there is still much money to be made by owning a few hundred shares. Hey, you! Yeah, you. Shut up about KO-ing an aging Matt Hughes already. There’s more to the MMA stock market than just buying based on who the fighter beat. Kos is one of the biggest ****heads in the UFC, nay, the entire MMA world. Fans love to hate this trash talkin’ kid and would give you their last dollar just to see the possibility of him him getting his face smashed in again. This is why you buy.
Sun-Tzu once said, “If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight, and if not split and reevaluate.” Despite his desire to fight again, the counsel has spoken — dude needs to hang up his gloves. He may not be able to ride off into the sunset, but he should ride nonetheless. We’ll remember him for being one of the most dominant champions in UFC history and we’ll give him a call if we need any help choosing a new John Deere.
Based on the level of competition Browne has faced in the heavyweight division; don’t make any moves just yet. Despite his winded performance down the stretch in Denver, he’s a sleeping giant who may be able to make some noise in the years to come. This is one gamble that won’t disappoint.
This $6.00 stock could be sold for $20.00 before 2012 is over. All the marks on the street are selling because the Stockton native lost two of his last three fights and some are convinced that he won’t ever be able to reach that next level. Diaz put on a fantastic fireworks display against “The Fireball Kid” Saturday night, which leads me to believe he’s determined to make the necessary changes to become an elite fighter. He’s got the right coach and the right game plan. There is bank to be made in the 209.
You can’t right the sinking ship that is Takanori Gomi. The ill-fated JMMA star is one lucky punch away from going 0-4 inside the Octagon. The sport kept evolving and Gomi did not, which proves that this is the mangiest, ugliest dog on the market today. It’s so bad that the balance sheet can only be handled with a scooper and a plastic bag.
Heavyweights not named JDS, Velasquez, Overeem, Lesnar, Barnett or Mir (or Browne): Sell, Sell, Sell
Lack of cardio, or any real skills for that matter, left a bad taste in my mouth after watching yet another performance by the Spare Tires. I’ve had it! From here on out I command you to treat heavyweights like the ex-girlfriend who dumped you and upgraded to a guy who owns a Lexus and has a time share in Bora Bora. You should diversify your portfolio in order to maximize your net gains, but that doesn’t mean you have to put an egg in every basket.
It’s not often we see a TUF winner look impressive in victory. Ferguson has made significant progress in the standup department and appears to be on the right track. It will be interesting to see who the UFC pairs him up with next, following his jaw-breaking TKO win over Aaron Riley. Will Ferguson stay at lightweight or jump back up to 170? Either way, I’m more than happy to get in now while he’s still a Penny Stock. You’d be wise to do the same so we can all enjoy the fruits of his labor for years to come.
Matt Hughes is arguably one of the biggest starts to ever grace the UFC’s cage, and the explosion of MMA in the USA has a lot to do with what Hughes did throughout his career. After being inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2010, the two-time wel…
Matt Hughes is arguably one of the biggest starts to ever grace the UFC’s cage, and the explosion of MMA in the USA has a lot to do with what Hughes did throughout his career.
After being inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2010, the two-time welterweight champion is second all time with 25 fights, and first in UFC history with 18 wins.
While he was one of the most dominant fighters the sport has ever seen, there hasn’t been much left in the tank over the last few years, and the popular consensus for the 37-year-old is that he will hang it up after his latest loss at UFC 135.
UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com about the future of Hughes in the octagon of the UFC:
I think he’s going to retire. I just don’t think Hughes wants to say the word ‘retire.’ There was a lot of talk that this was the last fight on his contract. I don’t know if that’s true or not because he’s a guy I’ve never worried about last fights or whatever. He’s going to fly out to Vegas in the next month or so and sit down and talk, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to hang it up – without saying ‘retire’. I’m almost 100 percent positive he’s going to retire. I don’t think he’s going to do anything else.
There hasn’t been a big star in the UFC that hasn’t faced off with Hughes as a measuring stick, and most didn’t pass the test.
One of the few men that actually beat Hughes in the prime of his career was Georges St. Pierre, but Hughes also boasts the fact that he was one of the only fighters to hand GSP a loss earlier in their careers.
While all of the UFC publicity is good for Hughes ego, he has found God and loves his wife, and it looks like the right time to pack up his gear and walk away from the bright lights of MMA fighting.
In the UFC 135 pre-fight press conference UFC president Dana White said he could tell the Jones-Jackson main event was a “breakthrough fight” because of all the celebrities who were willing to fly to Denver — Denver, of all places! — just to see it.
I’m not saying that’s not true, but I am saying that maybe you don’t want to spit out the name of the host city like you can’t believe any famous people would be willing to go there. Denver’s actually a pretty great city — one with pro sports teams and all that jazz. Maybe the nightclubs don’t stay open as long as the David Spade types would like, but the fact that they might be willing to make the flight anyway is maybe not as important to John Q. Fight Fan as it is to White. Like any main event, it’s a big deal because it’s a good fight, not the other way around.
But now that another UFC event is in the books and the dust has settled on the tiny, godforsaken hamlet of Denver, it’s time again to sort through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.
Biggest Winner: Jon Jones
No surprise here. The champ defended his belt in dominant fashion, showing that he could do just about anything he felt like to ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Crawling around on all fours? Sure. Tossing Jackson over his back after the end of a round? Why not. Jackson could hardly lay a glove on Jones until he went to pat him on the shoulder and give him his respect after it was all over. The scary thing is he’s only 24 years old. If I were a light heavyweight in the UFC, I’d either want to fight him right away, before he has a chance to get any better, or else much further in the future, after stardom may have taken its toll on him. If you get him somewhere in the middle, as Rashad Evans probably will, it could be big trouble. Now that the mere mention of Evans’ name seems to upset Jones, psychological warfare could be “Suga’s” best hope against the champ.
Biggest Loser: Takanori Gomi
Not only did he lose his second straight fight and his third in four UFC attempts, but he got absolutely throttled by Nate Diaz. In a lot of ways it was reminiscent of his loss to Nick Diaz, only without the brief period of effective offense in the beginning (or, hopefully, the eye-popping drug test results later). It’s hard not to wonder where this leaves the 33-year-old Gomi. His UFC run has been a disappointment and it’s starting to look like his Pride glory days were as good as it’s ever going to get for him. The UFC may or may not keep him around just long enough to fight in the Tokyo event, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a long-term future in the UFC. It’s a shame, but it’s not terribly surprising. The game has changed a lot since 2005, and very few fighters have managed to successfully change with it all the way into the present.
Most Improved: Mark Hunt
I’m not sure when Hunt learned to wrestle, but it must have been very, very recently. He didn’t just escape the mount and stuff a couple of Ben Rothwell’s takedowns, he even got a couple double-legs of his own. Who saw that coming? I’ve heard some people grumbling about his cardio down the stretch, but after hitting Rothwell with everything but a paternity suit, I don’t blame him for being tired. I’m a little amazed that Rothwell took so many bombs from the heavy-handed Hunt, but I’m even more amazed at Hunt’s overall improvement as a fighter in the last year. You factor in the feel-good story about him turning down a UFC payoff for a chance to earn a spot on the roster, and you’ve got a heavyweight who’s very quietly earned the admiration and respect of his peers.
Best Worst Use of Ambiguous Phrasing: Matt Hughes
He’s not retiring. No way. He just wants to be put on the shelf, whatever that means for a nearly 38-year-old ex-champion. Dana White’s known Hughes for a long time, so I’m inclined to go with his translation: Hughes just can’t bring himself to say the word ‘retirement,’ even after his second straight first-round knockout loss. You don’t ask to be put on the shelf if you’re dying to fight soon. And if you’re not trying to squeeze a couple more fights in before Father Time does even more of a number on you, doesn’t that mean you’re basically easing into retirement like a senior citizen into a water aerobics class? Probably, yeah. And that’s okay. If Hughes doesn’t want to say the words, he doesn’t have to. Not right now, anyway. But six months from now when he dozes off in a recliner while watching a fishing show in the middle of the day, that’s when it’s going to hit him: my God, this is what retired people do. Maybe by then it won’t seem so bad.
Most Impressive in Defeat: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
It might have been hard to tell while he was standing in the cage with Jones, but Jackson hasn’t looked that good for a couple years. We’ve seen many different versions of ‘Rampage’ over the course of his career, from the hungry, driven one to the plodding, barely interested variety. This time he moved well, was in excellent shape, and stayed in attack mode even when Jones was sticking him at will. It’s just a shame that it took a huge title fight to bring out that level of interest in him, and that it did him little good against an opponent as talented as Jones. But look on the bright side: maybe this will show Jackson how good he can be when he puts forth the effort. He says he wants ‘Shogun’ Rua in Japan, even though Rua already has a date with Dan Henderson coming up. But the mere fact that he’s asking for specific names and locations for his next fight at least tells us that he’s interested in MMA again. Let’s hope that lasts.
Least Impressive in Victory: Travis Browne
By the third round of his heavyweight tilt with Rob Broughton, Browne was content to get the top position and move only as much as was absolutely necessary in order to stay there. He already had the decision locked up, plus he was pretty tuckered out, so there was some logic to it all. That’s cool — and, hey, it’s better to win a fight like that than lose it — but it doesn’t exactly propel you up the heavyweight ranks. Browne’s knockout wins over Stefan Struve and James McSweeney have established his bona fides as an action fighter, so what gives? Maybe he ran out of gas or simply felt like he had to play it safe against Broughton, but either way this wasn’t exactly one for the highlight reel.
Most Surprising: Takeya Mizugaki
Judging by pre and post-fight appearances alone, I don’t know if anyone at UFC 135 enjoyed themselves as much as Mizugaki. I guess it helps when you win your fight, especially via dominating second-round TKO. Oddsmakers gave Mizugaki the slight edge coming into the fight, but he had Escovedo’s number early and managed to strike a perfect balance between recklessness and strategic aggression. Good thing too, since Mizugaki needed that win. It was the first time he’s finished a fight since 2008 and his most impressive performance yet in the UFC. Plus he just seemed to be having so much fun, and who doesn’t like to see that?
Biggest Matchmaking Headache: Josh Koscheck
Koscheck may very well be the second-best welterweight in the UFC, but there is absolutely zero interest in seeing him fight Georges St-Pierre a third time, so what now? He’s open to a temporary move to middleweight for the sake of a just-for-the-hell-of-it fight with Chris Leben, and maybe that’s the best thing the UFC can do with him. But once that’s over you still have a guy who’s probably too small to make a run at middleweight, but will only knock off potential contenders if you leave him at welterweight. The good news is that, with his abrasive personality and willingness to alienate people, Koscheck can always talk himself into new rivalries. And who knows, maybe he can tread water that way until GSP eventually moves up to middleweight and it’s open season in the UFC’s 170-pound class again. You know he can’t be the only fighter waiting for that day to come.
In the UFC 135 pre-fight press conference UFC president Dana White said he could tell the Jones-Jackson main event was a “breakthrough fight” because of all the celebrities who were willing to fly to Denver — Denver, of all places! — just to see it.
I’m not saying that’s not true, but I am saying that maybe you don’t want to spit out the name of the host city like you can’t believe any famous people would be willing to go there. Denver’s actually a pretty great city — one with pro sports teams and all that jazz. Maybe the nightclubs don’t stay open as long as the David Spade types would like, but the fact that they might be willing to make the flight anyway is maybe not as important to John Q. Fight Fan as it is to White. Like any main event, it’s a big deal because it’s a good fight, not the other way around.
But now that another UFC event is in the books and the dust has settled on the tiny, godforsaken hamlet of Denver, it’s time again to sort through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.
Biggest Winner: Jon Jones
No surprise here. The champ defended his belt in dominant fashion, showing that he could do just about anything he felt like to ‘Rampage’ Jackson. Crawling around on all fours? Sure. Tossing Jackson over his back after the end of a round? Why not. Jackson could hardly lay a glove on Jones until he went to pat him on the shoulder and give him his respect after it was all over. The scary thing is he’s only 24 years old. If I were a light heavyweight in the UFC, I’d either want to fight him right away, before he has a chance to get any better, or else much further in the future, after stardom may have taken its toll on him. If you get him somewhere in the middle, as Rashad Evans probably will, it could be big trouble. Now that the mere mention of Evans’ name seems to upset Jones, psychological warfare could be “Suga’s” best hope against the champ.
Biggest Loser: Takanori Gomi
Not only did he lose his second straight fight and his third in four UFC attempts, but he got absolutely throttled by Nate Diaz. In a lot of ways it was reminiscent of his loss to Nick Diaz, only without the brief period of effective offense in the beginning (or, hopefully, the eye-popping drug test results later). It’s hard not to wonder where this leaves the 33-year-old Gomi. His UFC run has been a disappointment and it’s starting to look like his Pride glory days were as good as it’s ever going to get for him. The UFC may or may not keep him around just long enough to fight in the Tokyo event, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a long-term future in the UFC. It’s a shame, but it’s not terribly surprising. The game has changed a lot since 2005, and very few fighters have managed to successfully change with it all the way into the present.
Most Improved: Mark Hunt
I’m not sure when Hunt learned to wrestle, but it must have been very, very recently. He didn’t just escape the mount and stuff a couple of Ben Rothwell’s takedowns, he even got a couple double-legs of his own. Who saw that coming? I’ve heard some people grumbling about his cardio down the stretch, but after hitting Rothwell with everything but a paternity suit, I don’t blame him for being tired. I’m a little amazed that Rothwell took so many bombs from the heavy-handed Hunt, but I’m even more amazed at Hunt’s overall improvement as a fighter in the last year. You factor in the feel-good story about him turning down a UFC payoff for a chance to earn a spot on the roster, and you’ve got a heavyweight who’s very quietly earned the admiration and respect of his peers.
Best Worst Use of Ambiguous Phrasing: Matt Hughes
He’s not retiring. No way. He just wants to be put on the shelf, whatever that means for a nearly 38-year-old ex-champion. Dana White’s known Hughes for a long time, so I’m inclined to go with his translation: Hughes just can’t bring himself to say the word ‘retirement,’ even after his second straight first-round knockout loss. You don’t ask to be put on the shelf if you’re dying to fight soon. And if you’re not trying to squeeze a couple more fights in before Father Time does even more of a number on you, doesn’t that mean you’re basically easing into retirement like a senior citizen into a water aerobics class? Probably, yeah. And that’s okay. If Hughes doesn’t want to say the words, he doesn’t have to. Not right now, anyway. But six months from now when he dozes off in a recliner while watching a fishing show in the middle of the day, that’s when it’s going to hit him: my God, this is what retired people do. Maybe by then it won’t seem so bad.
Most Impressive in Defeat: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson
It might have been hard to tell while he was standing in the cage with Jones, but Jackson hasn’t looked that good for a couple years. We’ve seen many different versions of ‘Rampage’ over the course of his career, from the hungry, driven one to the plodding, barely interested variety. This time he moved well, was in excellent shape, and stayed in attack mode even when Jones was sticking him at will. It’s just a shame that it took a huge title fight to bring out that level of interest in him, and that it did him little good against an opponent as talented as Jones. But look on the bright side: maybe this will show Jackson how good he can be when he puts forth the effort. He says he wants ‘Shogun’ Rua in Japan, even though Rua already has a date with Dan Henderson coming up. But the mere fact that he’s asking for specific names and locations for his next fight at least tells us that he’s interested in MMA again. Let’s hope that lasts.
Least Impressive in Victory: Travis Browne
By the third round of his heavyweight tilt with Rob Broughton, Browne was content to get the top position and move only as much as was absolutely necessary in order to stay there. He already had the decision locked up, plus he was pretty tuckered out, so there was some logic to it all. That’s cool — and, hey, it’s better to win a fight like that than lose it — but it doesn’t exactly propel you up the heavyweight ranks. Browne’s knockout wins over Stefan Struve and James McSweeney have established his bona fides as an action fighter, so what gives? Maybe he ran out of gas or simply felt like he had to play it safe against Broughton, but either way this wasn’t exactly one for the highlight reel.
Most Surprising: Takeya Mizugaki
Judging by pre and post-fight appearances alone, I don’t know if anyone at UFC 135 enjoyed themselves as much as Mizugaki. I guess it helps when you win your fight, especially via dominating second-round TKO. Oddsmakers gave Mizugaki the slight edge coming into the fight, but he had Escovedo’s number early and managed to strike a perfect balance between recklessness and strategic aggression. Good thing too, since Mizugaki needed that win. It was the first time he’s finished a fight since 2008 and his most impressive performance yet in the UFC. Plus he just seemed to be having so much fun, and who doesn’t like to see that?
Biggest Matchmaking Headache: Josh Koscheck
Koscheck may very well be the second-best welterweight in the UFC, but there is absolutely zero interest in seeing him fight Georges St-Pierre a third time, so what now? He’s open to a temporary move to middleweight for the sake of a just-for-the-hell-of-it fight with Chris Leben, and maybe that’s the best thing the UFC can do with him. But once that’s over you still have a guy who’s probably too small to make a run at middleweight, but will only knock off potential contenders if you leave him at welterweight. The good news is that, with his abrasive personality and willingness to alienate people, Koscheck can always talk himself into new rivalries. And who knows, maybe he can tread water that way until GSP eventually moves up to middleweight and it’s open season in the UFC’s 170-pound class again. You know he can’t be the only fighter waiting for that day to come.
UFC 135 has passed and left us feeling like its bark was louder than its bite. One of my favorite shows to watch is Pardon the Interruption. If you’re not familiar with the show, two sports journalists debate popular topics of the day. In the mid…
UFC 135 has passed and left us feeling like its bark was louder than its bite.
One of my favorite shows to watch is Pardon the Interruption. If you’re not familiar with the show, two sports journalists debate popular topics of the day. In the middle of the show the two men engage in a “game” of sorts.
One of the games is called “Report Card.” The hosts are asked to give a letter grade on certain sports topics for day ranging from F-A. In the spirit of PTI, I’ll give the main card fights for UFC 135 a report card.
Matt Hughes began his mixed martial arts career nearly 14 years ago when he defeated Erick Snyder via submission slam at JKD Challenge 2.Hughes then went on to win his next three bouts before losing the first fight of his MMA career to Dennis Hallman b…
Matt Hughes began his mixed martial arts career nearly 14 years ago when he defeated Erick Snyder via submission slam at JKD Challenge 2.
Hughes then went on to win his next three bouts before losing the first fight of his MMA career to Dennis Hallman by way of Guillotine Choke at 17 seconds in the first round.
After his loss, Hughes rattled off a career-high 18 straight victories.
Once again, Hughes met Hallman at UFC 129 where he again lost by submission in the first round of action.
Hughes then lost his next bout to Jose Landi-Jons before establishing himself as one of the best Welterweight fighters of all time.
He won seven consecutive fights before arriving to UFC 34 where he was declared the UFC Welterweight champion for the first time in his career.
Hughes went on to defend his title five consecutive times before losing to B.J. Penn.
At this point, Hughes was at the top of the Welterweight division and arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the UFC.
As time progressed, Hughes grew older but still proved he was at the top of his game, defeating notable opponents such as George St-Pierre, Frank Trigg and Royce Gracie.
Hughes then revenged his loss to Penn, defeating him via technical knockout at UFC 63.
Hughes would go on to lose three of his next four fights as his career quickly took a turn for the worse.
Instead of hanging it up, Hughes continued in the sport he loves but lacked the skills he once had.
In a highly anticipated bout at UFC 123, Hughes was knocked out by Penn in just 21 seconds of the first round.
Then, Hughes was set to square off with Diego Sanchez at UFC 135 before Sanchez was pulled from the card due to injury.
His replacement, Josh Koscheck stepped in as the two squared in front of a soldout Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
Koscheck knocked Hughes out at 4:59 of the first round, putting Hughes’ career in jeopardy.
Even prior to the fight, there was speculation that UFC 135 may have been Hughes’ last go-around.
Hughes even went as far as to sell his team and gym due to time conflicts with the amount of time he spent with his family.
Not only is Hughes a fighter, but a husband and a father to his three children.
At the age of 37, it is very unlikely Hughes will ever build up a chance for another Welterweight title shot.
Losing five of his last nine fights, it’s time Hughes hangs up the gloves for good.
Hughes, arguably the greatest Welterweight of all time has the most UFC victories in the history of the sport with 18.
While he is undoubtedly one of the greatest fighters to have ever entered the Octagon, Hughes’ career has caught up with him.
It is now time for Matt Hughes to end his historical run.
Photos are in from UFC 135 and Bleacher Report has compiled the best of them together in one easy-to-navigate location. Jones’ impressive performance was highlighted by his innovative striking, deceptive strength and incredible killer instinct. …
Photos are in from UFC 135 and Bleacher Report has compiled the best of them together in one easy-to-navigate location.
Jones’ impressive performance was highlighted by his innovative striking, deceptive strength and incredible killer instinct. After a somewhat tightly contested first round, Jones began picking apart Jackson in the second round before finally slamming his opponent to the ground where he then submitted him with a rear-naked choke.
Let’s take a look back at as we relive the best moments from UFC 135 in photos.
Matt Hughes is arguably one of the biggest starts to ever grace the UFC’s cage, and the explosion of 
In the 
