Tag: Max Holloway

UFC 172: Jon Jones Dominates Glover Teixeira in Unanimous Decision Victory


(“No disrespect to Glover, he’s a great challenger. I just think making eye-contact with other men is super-gay.” / Photo via Getty)

Welcome to CagePotato’s liveblog of UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira, aka “probably the most stacked card we’ve ever done in UFC history.” (Warning: The previous statement has not been evaluated by the Department of Consumer Affairs.) In the main event, light-heavyweight phenom Jon Jones will attempt to make his seventh consecutive title defense against hard-sluggin’ Brazilian Glover Teixeira. Plus: Anthony Johnson makes his UFC return against Phil Davis, and Luke Rockhold tangles with Tim Boetsch.

Round-by-round results from the UFC 172 pay-per-view broadcast will be available after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your own thoughts in the comments section or on twitter @cagepotatomma.


(“No disrespect to Glover, he’s a great challenger. I just think making eye-contact with other men is super-gay.” / Photo via Getty)

Welcome to CagePotato’s liveblog of UFC 172: Jones vs. Teixeira, aka “probably the most stacked card we’ve ever done in UFC history.” (Warning: The previous statement has not been evaluated by the Department of Consumer Affairs.) In the main event, light-heavyweight phenom Jon Jones will attempt to make his seventh consecutive title defense against hard-sluggin’ Brazilian Glover Teixeira. Plus: Anthony Johnson makes his UFC return against Phil Davis, and Luke Rockhold tangles with Tim Boetsch.

Round-by-round results from the UFC 172 pay-per-view broadcast will be available after the jump beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and shoot us your own thoughts in the comments section or on twitter @cagepotatomma.

UFC 172 Preliminary Card Results
– Joseph Benavidez def. Tim Elliott via submission (“joa constrictor” guillotine choke), 4:08 of round 1

– Takanori Gomi def. Isaac Vallie-Flagg via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)

– Bethe Correia def Jessamyn Duke via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28). Correia’s “one Horsewoman down, three to go” gesture after the fight was very badass.

– Danny Castillo def. Charlie Brenneman via KO, 0:21 of round 2

– Chris Beal def. Patrick Williams via walk-off flying knee knockout (!), 1:51 of round 2

Please stand by…

Andre “Touchy” Fili vs. Max Hollaway

I know Fili is supposed to be a hot prospect, but he’s got gauged-out ears and he walked out to Mumford & Sons, so screw him. Hollaway comes out to some folk-rock as well. What the hell is happening here? It’s the first fight on the pay-per-view, guys. You’re supposed to be RIPPIN’ IT INTO PIECES!

Round 1: Fili throws out some fast jabs. Hollaway lands a sharp counter punch. Leg kick Fili. Hollaway lands a spinning back kick to the body. Inside leg kick Fili. They trade long punches. An outside leg kick from Fili. Hollaway fires the spinning back kick again. Fili lands a punch and Hollaway looks briefly rattled. Jab from Fili, and a high kick. Fili digs in with a body hook. Jab and a leg kick from Fili. Hollaway lands a cross. Fili storms back with punches of his own. Hollaway throws the spinning back kick again. Right hand from Hollaway, and another. Hard leg kick from Fili, who follows it up with a takedown, but Hollaway pops right back up. And lands a knee on Fili. Body kick from Fili, Hollaway catches it and storms forward, punching. They clinch against the fence. Elbow from Hollaway. Knee to the body from Fili. That’s the round. I give it to Fili 10-9. “EXCELLENT WORK MOTHERFUCKER,” Bang Ludwig says.

Round 2: Hollaway lands a high front kick. Hollaway lands the spinning back kick again and lands it hard to the liver. Fili is hurt. Hollaway clinches, lands a knee. Fili shakes out. Fili with a leg kick, Hollaway returns a straight right. Fili attempts a flying armbar and gets nothing. Hollaway lets him up. Right hand from Hollaway. Good jabs from Hollaway. Fili lands a body kick. Joe Rogan is marking out over Hollaway’s spinning back kicks, obviously. Fili blasts forward and scores a takedown. Kevin Mulhall stands them up almost immediately and the crowd boos. God bless this crowd…they want *less* standing-and-banging. Hollaway with that spinning kick again. Fili shoots and Hollaway defends. Good knees from Hollaway from the clinch. The round ends. I’d say Hollaway edged it out, 10-9.

Round 3: Hollaway pops the right straight. He jabs, fires an uppercut. Fili fires a high kick, tries for a takedown but is shucked off. Hollaway tries his spinning back kick but it’s a miss. Fili shoots and successfully puts Hollaway on his back. Hollaway quickly works to his feet. Hollaway lands his right hand again. Hollaway lands a jab. Hollaway grabs Fili by the neck and drags him down. Fili gets up. Hollaway swarms with punches and Fili is hurt, on his heels. Fili goes low for a desperation takedown and Hollaway locks up a savage guillotine choke. Fili taps. And taps. Eventually, Mulhall sees it.

Max Hollaway def. Andre Fili via submission (guillotine choke), 3:39 of round 3.

Jim Miller vs. Yancy Medeiros

Round 1: Medeiros opens with some front kicks. Miller fires some punches but he’s having trouble getting close to the rangy Medeiros. Medeiros keeps working that front kick, with some punches after it. Miller lands a brutal body shot and Medeiros looks momentarily stunned, but then waves Miller forward. Miller clinches, flips Medeiros to the mat and sets up a guillotine choke. Miller cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks and cranks…my God, Medeiros is doing his best to hang on, but finally he starts to tap as he passes out. Kudos to Miller for staying on it.

Jim Miller def. Yancy Medeiros via submission (guillotine choke), 3:18 of round 1. Miller has apparently tied Gleison Tibau for the most wins in UFC lightweight history (13).

Luke Rockhold vs. Tim Boetsch

Round 1: Boetsch opens with a body kick. Boetsch shoots in, Rockhold defends and sets up an inverted triangle from the top, on Boetsch’s back. Rockhold goes for Boetsch’s arm and cranks a kimura. Boetsch taps. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy finish an armlock from that kind of position. Lemme go find a GIF…

Luke Rockhold def. Tim Boetsch via submission (kimura), 2:08 of round 1. Rockhold says he wants to earn his way to a title shot, starting with a rematch against Vitor Belfort (!). But of course, a fight against Michael Bisping would be nice too.

Here’s the GIF. Inverted triangle crucifix kimura?

Anthony Johnson vs. Phil Davis

Round 1: Davis staying on the outside, testing range with front kicks. Johnson dashes in, they clinch for a moment and break. Johnson lands two big right hands. Johnson catches Davis again with an uppercut as Mr. Wonderful shoots in. Davis lands a body kick but Johnson lands a big looping counter-punch in return. Johnson swarms and knocks Davis to the mat. Johnson follows and bashes down with punches. Davis somehow escapes with his life. Davis lands a high kick. Heavy jab from Johnson backs Davis up. Davis fires the high kick again. The round ends. Easy 10-9 for Johnson. Davis’s face is already shredded and bleeding.

Round 2: Leg kick from Johnson. Jab from Johnson, and an overhand right that whiffs. Davis jabbing. Davis dancing around, trying to bait Johnson into…something. Johnson with a big head kick. He stuffs a takedown from Davis. Uppercut from Johnson. 1-2 and a high kick from Johnson. Johnson still throwing with bad intentions deep into round 2. Davis with a superman punch and a pair of body kicks. Davis throws a high kick and gets blasted dead in the face with an uppercut in return. High kick Davis, and  a body kick followed by a takedown attempt, but Johnson shimmys right out of it. Davis is 0-5 on takedowns so far. There’s the horn. 10-9 Johnson.

Round 3: Johnson with a straight right to the body. Davis sticking-and-moving, minus the sticking. Johnson backing Davis up with punches. Davis shoots, Johnson defends easily. Davis fires the high kick. He fires a right hand and quickly ducks under for a takedown attempt but doesn’t get it. Johnson escapes, lands a hard leg kick. More punches and another takedown-stuff from Johnson. Good oblique kick to the body from Johnson. Davis throws a high kick that sails over Johnson’s head. Davis shoots, Johnson throws him off and Davis has to run out of danger. Davis grabs a single-leg and tries to yank Johnson down, but no dice. Both guys slugging at each other in the last 20 seconds. They clinch, and Davis looks for a kimura in the closing seconds. Too little, too late.

Anthony Johnson def. Phil Davis via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3). “BALTIMORE WAT’S UP BAYBEE!!!” [*crowd roars*] Finally, somebody gives it up to B-More. Then, Johnson thanks God, and on the other side of the Good/Evil spectrum, he thanks Dana for “changing me.” It’s a great moment. Anthony Johnson might have the greatest redemption story in MMA going right now.

Jon Jones vs. Glover Teixeira

The crowd loves Jon Jones and boos Teixeira. Good to see Bones get some love, finally.

Round 1: Jones with a switch kick to the body. Teixeira wading into the pocket and throwing power punches. Jones shoots from long range and Teixeira defends. Jones jabs. Teixeria with a right hand. He catches a kick from Jones and pushes him against the fence. Jones rolls out. Teixeira landing some hard punches. Jones with a high kick. Teixeira is poked in the eye, and steps out for a moment. Kick to the shin from Jones. Jones catches a kick and takes Teixeira down, but Teixeira quickly escapes. Jab from Jones. Spinning back kick from Jones lands to Teixeira’s ribs. Teixeira chases Jones winging punches, but Jones avoids. Jones with a high kick at the bell. Close round.

Round 2: Jones immediately shoots, and Teixeira sprawls out and escapes. Jones with kicks high and low. Straight left from Jones stings Teixeira. Punches and a front kick from Jones. Jones tries an axe kick, followed by an oblique kick. Jones palms Teixeira’s forehead and holds him back, like a mean older brother. Then he very clearly sticks his fingers in Teixeira’s eyes. Referee Dan Miragliotta gives Jones a warning. (Or *another* warning, really.) Teixeira bombs out on Jones. Jones lands a straight left and an elbow. Another elbow from Jones. And a left hook. Oblique kick to the shin from Jones. Oblique kick, spinning back kick and punches from Jones, and then a shoulder-check against the fence. Jones tries a spinning kick that misses, and Teixeira shoots in at the bell. 10-9 Jones.

Round 3: Jones grabs a headlock when Teixeira rushes in and throws in a knee. Teixeira pulls out. Jones punishing Teixeira with kicks. He lands an uppercut and says a few words to Teixeira. They clinch against the fence, and Teixeira lands a pair of powerful uppercuts. They’re against the fence again, and Jones scores with elbows in tight. Teixeira responding with uppercuts, but Jones is getting the better of this position. Jones with a great pair of hooks on the exit. Teixeira’s face is opened up. Jones bombing out from long range with punches and a kick. Jones with a great body shot and uppercut on Teixeira, whose back is against the fence. Jones with an elbow, Teixeira does his best to fight back, but again, Jones is very much in control. 10-9 Jones. The replay shows that Jones knocked Teixeira’s mouthpiece straight out of his mouth at one point.

Round 4: Jones still doing that thing where he palms Teixeira’s skull. He whiffs on a spinning backfist against the fence. Jones grabs Teixeira’s wrists as he backs the Brazilian against the fence. Teixeira throws a knee up the middle. Teixeira firing back with punches. He loses his mouthpiece again after eating a jab. They rinse it off, and the fight resumes. Body kick from Jones. Inside leg kick from Jones. Lead elbow from Jones lands. Hard side kick to the thigh from Teixeira, followed by an elbow. Jones’s variety of striking is totally overwhelming Teixeira. Spinning elbow from Jones. Jones with an uppercut and an elbow as Teixeira is backed up to the cage. Jones shoots and gets a takedown, and starts firing down punches as the round ends. 10-9 for the champ.

Round 5: Jones scores a takedown, Glover pops up. Jones with some long hooks that land. Jones is beating the tar out of Teixeira against the fence, and Teixeira loses his mouthpiece again. More hooks. An upward elbow from Jones. Teixeira lands an uppercut. Another upward elbow from Jones. Teixeira wobbles away. Jones presses Teixeira against the fence again, and they trade punches. Teixeira rolls out, takes the center of the cage. Jones dances out of range for the last 30 seconds, riding the clock out. There’s the final horn.

Jon Jones def. Glover Teixeira via unanimous decision (50-45 x 3).

Jones says most of his game-plan was improvised. Once he saw Teixeira winding up on his punches and realized that Teixeira was at a disadvantage in hand-fighting, Jones decided to make it a close-range fight and jam Teixeira up against the fence as much as possible. Jones now has more wins than anybody else in UFC light-heavyweight history (14). (Correction: Tito Ortiz earned 15 wins in the UFC, but obviously, they’re not counting him.)

Teixeira says a kick from Jones in the first round jacked up his shoulder and he might have also broken a rib. Dude got chewed up. But hey, we all saw that coming, right?

UFC on FOX 10 Results: Sergio Pettis Is a Victim of His Last Name


(A crestfallen Sergio Pettis. / Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

Sergio Pettis isn’t ready for the UFC.

This opinion might be unpopular, but it’s true. UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis‘ younger brother just isn’t ready.

Sergio Pettis is talented, of that there is no doubt. While most 20-somethings were complaining about trivial social justice issues on Thought Catalog or watching Girls, Sergio Pettis was kicking ass en route to the UFC, showing that he has ample technique and a bright future. The hype wanted us to believe Pettis’ future was now. Fuck the Super Mario Brothers, it was time for the Super Pettis Brothers.

Alas, like with nearly every young, buzzworthy prospect, Pettis faltered. The hype train managed to steamroll over his pedestrian UFC debut, but not so for his follow-up fight against Alex Caceres at UFC on FOX 10. Pettis lost via submission in the third round. Even though the fight was close and well-fought up until the submission, a loss is still a loss.

“He’s just not as good as his brother,” some will say. Others will be harsher, citing Alexander Emelianenko syndrome. “If it wasn’t for his last name, you’d have never heard him; he’s nothing special.”

They’ll be right, but only about the “if it wasn’t for his last name” part.


(A crestfallen Sergio Pettis. / Photo via Getty)

By Matt Saccaro

Sergio Pettis isn’t ready for the UFC.

This opinion might be unpopular, but it’s true. UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis‘ younger brother just isn’t ready.

Sergio Pettis is talented, of that there is no doubt. While most 20-somethings were complaining about trivial social justice issues on Thought Catalog or watching Girls, Sergio Pettis was kicking ass en route to the UFC, showing that he has ample technique and a bright future. The hype wanted us to believe Pettis’ future was now. Fuck the Super Mario Brothers, it was time for the Super Pettis Brothers.

Alas, like with nearly every young, buzzworthy prospect, Pettis faltered. The hype train managed to steamroll over his pedestrian UFC debut, but not so for his follow-up fight against Alex Caceres at UFC on FOX 10. Pettis lost via submission in the third round. Even though the fight was close and well-fought up until the submission, a loss is still a loss.

“He’s just not as good as his brother,” some will say. Others will be harsher, citing Alexander Emelianenko syndrome. “If it wasn’t for his last name, you’d have never heard him; he’s nothing special.”

They’ll be right, but only about the “if it wasn’t for his last name” part.

If Sergio Pettis was just a highly skilled 20-year-old without the baggage of a notable surname, he might not have been brought into the UFC so quickly. And even if the UFC had hired him, the negative, hateful fallout from a loss—or even from a lackluster victory—wouldn’t be so great.

The UFC has a history of throwing still-developing prospects into the fire nuclear reactor a little too soon. They fed a 20-year-old, 4-0 Max Holloway to Dustin Poirier back at UFC 143. Charles Oliveira‘s career was rushed as well. He went from fighting the likes of Efrain Escudero straight to top-flight talent like Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone. The young Brazilian wasn’t ready for this dramatic uptick in competition, and his career suffered. It still hasn’t rebounded.

But you don’t hear about these fighters quite so much because they don’t have famous older brothers. The MMA twitterverse isn’t rife with activity when these fighters lose. It was when Sergio Pettis lost.

In MMA, the drawbacks of a famous last name often outnumber the benefits; exposure is a double-edged sword that slays the lesser brother, leaving their career as one of many corpses the message board vultures pick clean.

2014 is not Pettis’ time. He’s quite a talent for his age, but he’s still green. At 20, and with a skill set that’s not quite there yet (but still growing tremendously with loads of potential), he’s not a world-beater. He might be one day, but not today. He’d benefit from more time on the regional circuit. But since he’s got a famous last name, the UFC might not heed this advice and let Pettis go develop his skills more. They’ll keep pushing Sergio Pettis before he’s ready just because he’s Sergio Pettis, the champ’s brother. And if he fails, he’ll forever become the Luigi to Anthony’s Mario—the perennial understudy—all because of his last name.

You Might Want to Stay Away from the UFC Fight Pass for a While (Oh Yeah, the UFC Had a Card This Morning Too)


(The UFC, where tapping out doesn’t matter, like the points in “Whose Line is It Anyway?” / Photo Via Getty)

Like communism, the UFC Fight Pass sounds amazing on paper.

For $10/month, not only do you get to see a bunch of overseas cards not aired in the United States, you get access to the UFC’s entire video library—which includes fights from the WEC and Pride, as well as episodes from TUF.

It wouldn’t have been a bad deal if the UFC’s execution hadn’t been lacking in all departments.

FightOpinion, a firebrand MMA website that has recently earned the ire of Dana White, extensively covered the UFC Fight Pass, and not the fluff coverage the paid for media often provides for anything Zuffa-owned. If you want the dirt on the UFC Fight Pass, FightOpinion has the shovel. They ran three articles on the star-crossed streaming service. You should read each one.

Here’s what they concluded:

-The UFC Fight Pass isn’t worth the money, especially when you consider that you have to pay for 13 PPVs throughout the year as well. It costs over $700 a year to be a UFC fan.

-The UFC Fight Pass doesn’t even work from a promotional point of view; the pay wall ensures that the fighters who need exposure most won’t get it.

-The UFC Fight Pass pales in comparison to the WWE’s digital network, a sentiment we share.

-The UFC Fight Pass is lacking a plethora of features that are standard issue on other digital streaming networks (i.e. Netflix, Hulu, etc). It’s also in dire need of polish. An example they give is that searching for “UFC 1” will give you every single event starting with “UFC” and “1”, so you’ll get UFC 1, 10, 11…100, 101, etc.)

-The legalese in the UFC Fight Pass’ terms of use agreement is binding and horrific (although this isn’t unique to the UFC).

But FightOpinion wasn’t the only MMA Media outlet to have doubts about the UFC Fight Pass. MMA Mania’s Matt Roth went on a twitter rant against the service. Even worse, he says that the UFC charged him for watching fights on the Fight Pass—fights that your monthly $10 is purportedly granting you access to.

It’s clear that the Fight Pass is a half-finished cash grab that’s held together by duct tape. If you buy it in its current, faulty incarnation, you’re either a mark for the UFC or an MMA media member (though there’s a lot of crossover here). Stay away from the fight pass for a while longer. It’s not ready for public consumption.

However, that didn’t stop the UFC from airing its first card on the UFC Fight Pass: UFC Fight Night 34, an event that was held in Singapore this morning.

For the most part, there wasn’t a whole lot of game-changing stuff to happen on this event. We’ll give you a quick rundown with some GIFs (all courtesy of @ZProphet_MMA) and then the complete results:


(The UFC, where tapping out doesn’t matter, like the points in “Whose Line is It Anyway?” / Photo Via Getty)

Like communism, the UFC Fight Pass sounds amazing on paper.

For $10/month, not only do you get to see a bunch of overseas cards not aired in the United States, you get access to the UFC’s entire video library—which includes fights from the WEC and Pride, as well as episodes from TUF.

It wouldn’t have been a bad deal if the UFC’s execution hadn’t been lacking in all departments.

FightOpinion, a firebrand MMA website that has recently earned the ire of Dana White, extensively covered the UFC Fight Pass, and not the fluff coverage the paid for media often provides for anything Zuffa-owned. If you want the dirt on the UFC Fight Pass, FightOpinion has the shovel. They ran three articles on the star-crossed streaming service. You should read each one.

Here’s what they concluded:

-The UFC Fight Pass isn’t worth the money, especially when you consider that you have to pay for 13 PPVs throughout the year as well. It costs over $700 a year to be a UFC fan.

-The UFC Fight Pass doesn’t even work from a promotional point of view; the pay wall ensures that the fighters who need exposure most won’t get it.

-The UFC Fight Pass pales in comparison to the WWE’s digital network, a sentiment we share.

-The UFC Fight Pass is lacking a plethora of features that are standard issue on other digital streaming networks (i.e. Netflix, Hulu, etc). It’s also in dire need of polish. An example they give is that searching for “UFC 1″ will give you every single event starting with “UFC” and “1″, so you’ll get UFC 1, 10, 11…100, 101, etc.)

-The legalese in the UFC Fight Pass’ terms of use agreement is binding and horrific (although this isn’t unique to the UFC).

But FightOpinion wasn’t the only MMA Media outlet to have doubts about the UFC Fight Pass. MMA Mania’s Matt Roth went on a twitter rant against the service. Even worse, he says that the UFC charged him for watching fights on the Fight Pass—fights that your monthly $10 is purportedly granting you access to.

It’s clear that the Fight Pass is a half-finished cash grab that’s held together by duct tape. If you buy it in its current, faulty incarnation, you’re either a mark for the UFC or an MMA media member (though there’s a lot of crossover here). Stay away from the fight pass for a while longer. It’s not ready for public consumption.

However, that didn’t stop the UFC from airing its first card on the UFC Fight Pass: UFC Fight Night 34, an event that was held in Singapore this morning.

For the most part, there wasn’t a whole lot of game-changing stuff to happen on this event. We’ll give you a quick rundown with some GIFs (all courtesy of @ZProphet_MMA) and then the complete results:

22-year-old kickboxing ace Max Holloway, who recently suffered a loss to Conor McGregor, returned to the winning column on the prelims.

On the main card, Luiz Dutra received a DQ loss for illegal 12-6 elbows to the back of the head. More notably, he started crying afterwards. I wonder what Jimmy Dugan would have to say about that…

In the co-main event, famed Japanese fighter Tatsuya Kawajiri made a successful UFC debut, submitting Sean Soriano via rear naked choke in the second round—a submission where the referee literally missed the frantic tapout while he was standing right in front of the fighters.

The main event featured a fight between Tarec Saffiedine and Hyun Gyu Lim. By all accounts the fight was entertaining, but Saffiedine was clearly the better fighter. He made use of his signature leg kicks throughout the fight to cripple Lim, stymieing the Korean’s offensive efforts. Saffiedine walked away with a unanimous decision victory.

Here are the complete results:

Main Card

Tarec Saffiedine def. Hyun Gyu Lim via unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47)
Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Sean Soriano via technical submission (rear naked choke), 0:50 of Round 2
Kiichi Kunimoto def. Luiz Dutra via DQ (illegal elbows), 2:57 of Round 1
Kyung-Ho Kang def. Shunichi Shimizu via submission (arm triangle), 3:53 of Round 3

Preliminary Card

Max Holloway def. Will Chope via TKO (punches), 2:27 of Round 2
Katsunori Kikuno def. Quinn Mulhern via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Royston Wee def. Dave Galera via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)
Mairbek Taisumov def. Tae Hyun Bang via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Dustin Kimura def. Jon Delos Reyes via submission (armbar), 2:13 of Round 1
Russell Doane def. Leandro Issa via technical submission (triangle), 4:59 of Round 2

Booking Alert: Brian Bowles Returns, Faces George Roop at UFC 160 in Las Vegas


(Word has it that Torres attempted to lure Bowles’ sister into his “surprise van” after the weigh-ins. Big mistake, bro. Photo courtesy of ESPN.) 

We’re pretty convinced the real Brian Bowles died in 2011. Following his submission loss to Urijah Faber at UFC 139, Bowles vanished from the MMA scene without a trace and no one seems to know why. Go ahead, try and find a Brian Bowles interview, injury update, photo, credit card receipt, Twitter update or Facebook wall post dated to 2012. You will not. Brian Bowles was as much alive in 2012 as Caylee Anthony.

But unlike the subject of that distasteful and completely unnecessary comparison, it seems Brian Bowles has been given a second chance at life. That, or the Mangalor that is wearing his face has decided to give this MMA thing a try. In either case, Bowles has been booked against fellow WEC vet George Roop at UFC 160, which transpires on May 25th in Las Vegas.

Roop didn’t have a much better 2012 than Bowles, suffering a mouthpiece-ejecting KO to Cub Swanson in his only octagon appearance. This year has already proved more successful for the TUF 8 alum, who was able to outpoint Reuben Duran at UFC 158. Although if history is any indication, Roop’s 2013 is about to get a lot worse.

Also booked for UFC 160…


(Word has it that Torres attempted to lure Bowles’ sister into his “surprise van” after the weigh-ins. Big mistake, bro. Photo courtesy of ESPN.) 

We’re pretty convinced the real Brian Bowles died in 2011. Following his submission loss to Urijah Faber at UFC 139, Bowles vanished from the MMA scene without a trace and no one seems to know why. Go ahead, try and find a Brian Bowles interview, injury update, photo, credit card receipt, Twitter update or Facebook wall post dated to 2012. You will not. Brian Bowles was as much alive in 2012 as Caylee Anthony.

But unlike the subject of that distasteful and completely unnecessary comparison, it seems Brian Bowles has been given a second chance at life. That, or the Mangalor that is wearing his face has decided to give this MMA thing a try. In either case, Bowles has been booked against fellow WEC vet George Roop at UFC 160, which transpires on May 25th in Las Vegas.

Roop didn’t have a much better 2012 than Bowles, suffering a mouthpiece-ejecting KO to Cub Swanson in his only octagon appearance. This year has already proved more successful for the TUF 8 alum, who was able to outpoint Reuben Duran at UFC 158. Although if history is any indication, Roop’s 2013 is about to get a lot worse.

Also booked for UFC 160…

From the bantamweight division to the featherweight, a matchup between streaking contenders Dennis Bermudez and Max Holloway is set for the May 25th-scheduled event as well. Since suffering from a last second, come-from-behind armbar defeat to Diego Brandao for the TUF 14 featherweight plaque in December of 2011, “The Menace” has put together a solid three fight win streak. Although Bermudez will find himself at a four inch reach disadvantage, he showed in his routing of Pablo Garza that he will not let it be it a deciding factor in a fight. On the heels of an epic slugfest with Matt Grice, expect this brawl to end up with at least one end of the night award.

Predictions, please.

–J. Jones

UFC 150: Post-Fight Breakdown

Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar The headliner for UFC 150 resulted in yet another controversial decision in a lightweight title fight. This time, Ben Henderson retained the title in a split decision where two judges.

Ben Henderson vs. Frankie Edgar

The headliner for UFC 150 resulted in yet another controversial decision in a lightweight title fight. This time, Ben Henderson retained the title in a split decision where two judges scored the fight 48-47 for Henderson and one score it 49-46 for Edgar. Edgar was upset with the decision after the fight and the internet consensus has Edgar winning the fight. I scored the fight 48-47 for Edgar but I don’t have a problem with the outcome at all and I don’t think saying that Edgar was “robbed” is an accurate assessment as many are claiming.

Henderson clearly won the first round and everyone is in agreement on that. He employed the unique strategy of attacking Edgar’s calf with kicks to slow the contender’s movement and had great success in doing so. Edgar’s calf was swollen and bruised by the end of the round. The former champion came back in the second round and evened up the scoring by knocking Henderson down with a clean right hand and then trying to finish with a front guillotine. The scoring on this round is also not in doubt but starting with the third round, judging became absurdly subjective. The final three rounds were some of the most difficult to score in any recent fight. Both fighters landed at various times but neither landed anything significant. Edgar seemed to be moving forward and bringing the fight to Henderson but compustrike showed that Henderson outlanded Edgar in significant strikes. On the other hand, Edgar won the takedown battle. Add that up and you get a judging nightmare. Boxing has long had an unwritten rule that the champion gets the nod if the fight is too close to score and that may have been what happened in this fight.

Scoring aside, Henderson leaves this fight as the champion and he will fight Nate Diaz next. Diaz has patiently been awaiting his opportunity and he will be rewarded with a title shot as promised. For Edgar, the loss has to be gutting but he is still one of the best fighters in the division. A fight with either Donald Cerrone of Anthony Pettis would make sense and a win against either would likely catapult him right back into top contendership. And of course, an immediate title shot awaits him if he ever decides to drop to featherweight, which he could easily do.

Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard

In the clear fight of the night, Donald Cerrone came back from being hurt early to knockout Melvin Guillard. And the entire fight lasted seventy six seconds. In the opening exchange, Guillard landed a counter left hook to Cerrone’s jaw and dropped him. Guillard rushed forward and flurried for the finish as Cerrone backed up toward to the cage. But Guillard was unable to end the fight and backed up to reset. Almost immediately upon reentering the pocket, Cerrone landed a kick just above Guillard’s temple. As Guillard wobbled, Cerrone rushed in and landed a right hand that turned out Guillard’s lights for at least a minute. If I have ever have seventy six seconds to kill, I’m not sure I could think of a better way to spend it than rewatching this fight.

The loss is a set back for Guillard and his chances of getting back into the title picture seem unlikely at this point. Despite that, he is always one of the most entertaining fighters in the division and because of that, he will always have a place in the UFC. Cerrone has now won six of his seven fights in the UFC with his only loss coming to title contender Nate Diaz. The lightweight division is absurdly stacked but he deserves to be on the fighters at the top of the stack. He, Anthony Pettis and Frankie Edgar seem to be the top three fighters outside of the champion Ben Henderson and Diaz. Hopefully, Cerrone will face either Pettis or Edgar in his next fight and either one of those fights would be guaranteed fireworks.

Jake Shields vs. Ed Herman

Jake Shields impressed no one by grinding out another unimpressive decision over Ed Herman. Herman actually won the first round by pushing Shields against the fence and controlling position. He never threatened the former Strikeforce champion but he did enough to win the round. That strategy came back to bite him in the second round as Shields used the clinch against the cage to score a takedown and controlled Herman from top position for the remainder of the round. He landed no significant strikes and his most threatening attack of the round was a weak kimura attempt. Herman learned from his mistake in the second round and came out looking to keep his distance and strike with Shields in the third round. But Shields managed to close the distance and repeated his performance from the previous round to earn the decision.

Ed Herman is basically the same fighter he’s always been. He has some dangerous submissions but lacks a striking game to support his grappling. Against the right opponent, he can provide exciting fights but he doesn’t present much of a threat at 185 lbs. Shields continues to be a bit of an enigma since coming to the UFC. He defeated Dan Henderson and that can’t be ignored but he also struggled with Ed Herman, which is not the mark of a great fighter. I don’t think the UFC can justify giving him a top tier fighter after that performance but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him matched with Yushin Okami after they both earned victories at UFC 150.

Yushin Okami vs. Buddy Roberts

This fight was a much of a mismatch in the cage as it was on paper. Roberts managed to land a few punches early in the first round but once Okami decided to take the fight to the ground, it was over. Roberts seemed to know that his only chance was to score a knockout and threw wild power shots at Okami through the early part of the first round. He landed a few but Okami was never in danger. Eventually, Okami tired of the striking and clinched with Roberts. From there, he dragged him to the mat and quickly passed to mount. Roberts gave up his back and Okami used the position to ground and pound Roberts who seemed ready to give up before the bell sounded. The second round was similar except that Okami didn’t wait to clinch and drag Roberts to the mat. Instead, he did it early in the round and once again ended up back mounted on Roberts throwing punches. Roberts seemed to accept his fate and covered up waiting for the fight to be stopped, which it was.

Roberts clearly doesn’t have what it takes to compete at the top of the division and is a middling middleweight at best. But Okami needed a fight like this to prove that he is still a dominant fighter. A loss to the best pound for pound fighter in the world followed by a crazy knockout loss in a fight he was dominating don’t mean that Okami is done. He deserves to be competing at the top of the division and should get a contender in his next fight.

Max Holloway vs. Justin Lawrence

UFC 150 started with an excellent striking display by Max Holloway and Justin Lawrence. In the first round, Lawrence landed the majority of the power strikes. He spent the round head hunting in search of the knockout. He managed to land a couple of clean punches but never seemed to have Holloway in major trouble. Despite that, he definitely looked to be the more dangerous fighter. The second round began in similar fashion but Holloway showed why his brand of Muay Thai is the most dangerous standup attack in the sport. Despite Lawrence’s power, Holloway stuck to his technical approach and eventually scored the finish in true Muay Thai fashion. He landed a knee to the liver and followed it closely with a right to the body and a left hook to the liver. Clean punches to the chin aren’t the only way to end a fight and Holloway proved that by decimating Lawrence to the body. The liver shots rendered him unable to do anything other than curl up in a fetal position and Holloway pounced with a flurry to finish the fight. His performance was a tribute to trusting technique over power and should serve as a reminder to the rest of the MMA world as to how effective body work can be with four ounce gloves.

For Lawrence, the loss is a set back but he put on a good enough show to prove that he has a future in the sport. After only five career fights, he will certainly improve going forward and will likely be given a winnable fight in his next appearance. Holloway now has back to back wins and at just twenty years old, seems to have a bright future. If the UFC is smart, they will not rush him into fights against more experienced opponents and allow him to continue to work on his game against other young fighters. He is only in the UFC because he was able to step in as a last minute replacement against Dustin Poirier and he is not yet ready for the upper or even middle levels of the featherweight division. Hopefully, the UFC will be smart and give him another similarly inexperienced prospect in his fight and allow him to continue to grow.

MMAFix Staff Picks: UFC 150

Benson Henderson (-210) vs. Frankie Edgar (+175) Emily Kapala: The Henderson Vs. Edgar fight is going to worth every PPV penny. While Henderson did take the belt from Edgar at their last meeting in the.

Benson Henderson (-210) vs. Frankie Edgar (+175)

Emily Kapala: The Henderson Vs. Edgar fight is going to worth every PPV penny. While Henderson did take the belt from Edgar at their last meeting in the octagon, I think the oddsmakers have it wrong by choosing Henderson as the favorite. While Henderson may have been the better fighter at the bout in Japan, Edgar is a better all around fighter. Not only will he win the fight, but he is the highest value bet. Frankie Edgar will be the regain his title as the lightweight champion of the world on Saturday night. Winner: Frankie Edgar

Alan Wells: I expect this fight to play out similarly to the first one. It will be close and Edgar will have his moments but Henderson is just a little better overall. Either way, this one is going five rounds and will be contested at a high level. And the odds are bettable either way. What more can you ask for? Winner: Ben Henderson

Elise Kapala: The main event is clearly a must see for MMA fans. Because Edgar lost the belt to Henderson, I believe he has the driving edge mentally, as well as physically, to get back his belt and regain the title of champion. I think Edgar will come out on top in this rematch. Winner: Frankie Edgar

Ryan Poli: I picked Henderson to win the first time, and even though I think Edgar should have won the fight, I’m picking Henderson again due to his skill in every aspect of the fight game. Henderson by decision. Winner: Ben Henderson

MMAFix PicK: Push (2-2)

Donald Cerrone (-350) vs. Melvin Guillard (+290)

Emily Kapala: With 7 fight of the night performances throughout his mixed martial arts career, you know a good brawl is going to happen when Cerrone is on the card. While Guillard has shown excellent skill thoughout his career, I see Cerrone winning with his Muay Thai kickboxing. With a win, he is on his way to be in the lightweight champion contendership once again. Winner: Donald Cerrone

Alan Wells: I expect this fight to be a replay of Cerrone’s previous fight against Jeremy Stephens. He’ll keep Guillard on the outside and pick him apart with combinations. The punches will land clean and set up huge leg kicks to finish. Cerrone will take this one convincingly but the odds make it not worth a bet. Winner: Donald Cerrone

Elise Kapala: The fight between Guillard and Cerrone is an interesting fight. They both have incredible knockout ability, so it should be very interesting. Although I think it will be a very close fight, I think that Cerrone will take the victory over Guillard. Winner: Donald Cerrone

Ryan Poli: Guillard has the power to end the fight at any time, but Cerrone has the technical advantage in the striking and a huge advantage in the ground game. Cerrone by Submission. Winner: Donald Cerrone

MMAFix Pick: Donald Cerrone (4-0)