UFC on FOX 2 is already upon us, and, despite a last minute injury, the world’s premiere MMA organization has come through with a pretty solid main card. First up, veteran Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Demian Maia takes on rising prospect Chris Weidman,…
UFC on FOX 2 is already upon us, and, despite a last minute injury, the world’s premiere MMA organization has come through with a pretty solid main card.
First up, veteran Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Demian Maia takes on rising prospect Chris Weidman, who was gutsy enough to take this bout on just 11 days notice.
Maia’s original opponent, Michael Bisping, will not be taking on Chael Sonnen in a middleweight title eliminator after Mark Munoz suffered a serious elbow injury less than two weeks before the event.
In the main event, “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis takes on perennial light heavyweight contender Rashad “Suga” Evans, to likely decide who is next for 205-pound champion Jon “Bones” Jones.
Bleacher Report MMA Featured Columnists Jordy McElroy, Dwight Wakabayashi, Jeffrey McKinney, Dale De Souza and myself, John Heinis, will be breaking the fights down this week.
Staredown gif via ‘unfilter’ on the UG. The full UFC on FOX 2 press conference video is after the jump, in which Dana White clarifies that Chael Sonnen is not actually the middleweight champion, nor will he be challenging for the light-heavyweight or heavyweight titles after this fight.
(Always with the forehead contact, eh Mike?)
Staredown gif via ‘unfilter’ on the UG. The full UFC on FOX 2 press conference video is after the jump, in which Dana White clarifies that Chael Sonnen is not actually the middleweight champion, nor will he be challenging for the light-heavyweight or heavyweight titles after this fight.
Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights with a summed-up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables. T…
Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights with a summed-up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables. This will analyze what could happen in the fight, and end with a prediction.
This Saturday, the UFC is returning to Chicago for UFC on FOX 2. Headlining the fight is a light heavyweight showdown between Rashad Evans and Phil Davis. However, just as intriguing—if not more—is the co-main event.
Prior to Evans and Davis meeting in the Octagon, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping will go toe-to-toe.
This highly anticipated fight is significant because the winner will be facing current UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Regardless of the title shot implications, this fight pits two unique styles against each other.
It’s no secret Sonnen brings a very strong wrestling ability to the table and will certainly use it to control the fight.
Sonnen is coming off a great win and has motivation to redeem himself after losing to Silva prior to his suspension. While predictable and unwavering, his wrestling is still something not be overlooked. He will certainly use his wrestling to beat Bisping, but even knowing what Sonnen will do does not stop it from happening. Bisping will look to stuff his takedowns while being an aggressive striker.
Bisping is an ever-improving striker who remains confident in his submission game and has voiced his confidence in submitting Sonnen, but he assumingly will not take the fight to the ground first. Sonnen has shown one real weakness in his game, and that is submission defense.
Sonnen is 26-11, and eight of those losses came by submission, four of which were triangle chokes. Bisping stands 22-3 and is on a four-fight winning streak. Bisping, however, has not slapped on a submission since 2005.
Bisping will want to use his slight reach advantage and striking to keep the pressure on Sonnen, but throwing strikes always leaves your balance in a forward motion and leaves your legs with unequal weight distribution. Bisping’s strikes may give Sonnen the opening he needs, and one is all it takes. Bisping will certainly want to get in and out with his strikes.
All in all, this fight has the potential to be a great war between two guys with two different styles. Both men are motivated to get a shot at the belt—especially Bisping, who has yet to earn a title shot in his five years in the UFC.
Anderson Silva will be watching intently, and we will see who will get their shot at dethroning “The Spider.”
The smack talk between Sonnen and Bisping will likely be taken to the next level when the two of them are seated within ten feet of each other, so it’s definitely worth checking out.
Let us know your picks for Saturday night in the comment section while we wait for this thing to start.
The smack talk between Sonnen and Bisping will likely be taken to the next level when the two of them are seated within ten feet of each other, so it’s definitely worth checking out.
Let us know your picks for Saturday night in the comment section while we wait for this thing to start.
The UFC returns to FOX this Saturday with a three-fight main card that could produce the next title contenders in two different divisions. It’s also packed with betting opportunities that will generously reward the risk-takers. And you’re not a chicken, are you? Huh? Bawk bawk bawwwwwk?? Yeah, that’s what we thought. So consider our UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis gambling advice after the jump, and be sure to come back for our liveblog, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. But first, the complete odds lineup, via BestFightOdds.com:
The UFC returns to FOX this Saturday with a three-fight main card that could produce the next title contenders in two different divisions. It’s also packed with betting opportunities that will generously reward the risk-takers. And you’re not a chicken, are you? Huh? Bawk bawk bawwwwwk?? Yeah, that’s what we thought. So consider our UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis gambling advice after the jump, and be sure to come back for our liveblog, which kicks off at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. But first, the complete odds lineup, via BestFightOdds.com:
PRELIMINARY CARD (FACEBOOK.com/UFC)
Chris Camozzi (-170) vs. Dustin Jacoby (+160)
Let’s get started…
The Main Event: This is Rashad’s fight to lose. His striking is better than Davis’s, and he’s not going to allow Mr. Wonderful to outwrestle him for five rounds. I say Evans keeps the fight standing and takes a win on the scorecards. Now, if you consider the intangibles — Rashad’s streak of bad luck, his high emotions coming into this fight, the rocky start of the Blackzilians camp (see: Anthony Johnson, Melvin Guillard) — then an upset starts to seem possible. But on paper, Suga holds more advantages, and you can bet comfortably on him.
The Good ‘Dogs: For starters, the two other fights on the main card are worth looking at. Chael Sonnen certainly deserves to be the favorite against Michael Bisping, but 4-1 odds is pushing it. (You have to think that Bisping has spent the last week drilling triangle chokes off his back nonstop.) A small wager on Bisping for the upset is smart, simply because the payoff is so inflated. As for Demian Maia, slating him as the underdog is close to insulting. Weidman may be the newest hot-shit wrestler/grappler prospect in the middleweight division, but he’s also coming into the fight on very short notice, against a veteran whose biggest strengths are on the mat. Weidman could be in trouble here. I also like the occasionally-brilliant George Roop at +125 against the generally-inconsistent Cub Swanson.
Prelim Steal: How is Mike Russow, who’s 3-0 in the UFC and hasn’t lost a fight in almost five years, only a -150 favorite against Jon Olav Einemo, who’s 0-1 in the UFC and hasn’t won a fight in over five years? Just because Einemo briefly had Dave Herman on the ropes in his UFC debut, we’re supposed to think that this fight isn’t a squash match? Forget that — this is free money. Bet big on Russow.
Official CagePotato Parlay: Sonnen + Russow + Oliveira + Beltran
Suggested wager for a $50 stake
– $10 on Evans
– $5 on Bisping
– $5 on Maia
– $5 on Roop
– $20 on Russow
– $5 on the parlay
This weekend in Chicago, Illinois, two of the UFC’s biggest trash talkers will finally go to war. Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen will battle to see who is the next challenger for middleweight champion Anderson Silva’s crown. The two contenders were i…
This weekend in Chicago, Illinois, two of the UFC’s biggest trash talkers will finally go to war. Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen will battle to see who is the next challenger for middleweight champion Anderson Silva‘s crown.
The two contenders were initially set to face off against different opponents, with Sonnen scheduled to face Mark Munoz and Bisping supposed to face jiu-jitsu master Demian Maia.
However, with an elbow injury to Munoz, Bisping stepped in on short notice to take on the former No. 1 contender.
Many thought that as soon as the Brit agreed to the fight, the insults and trash talking would begin.
To the surprise of many, however, the two have been very complimentary of one other as they share a mutual respect.
The two also haven’t had much time to trash talk as they only had a short time to prepare for their new opponent, according to Bisping, in an interview with ESPN.com.
“I know some fans are disappointed that there hasn’t been eight weeks of zingers between us and, to be honest, I think we would have got into it if this fight had been made two months ago,” Bisping said. “But right now, both of us had to focus on getting ready for a new opponent – and in his case a more dangerous opponent in me – on a week’s notice.
“I never talk trash unless someone has disrespected me and, to be honest, Chael has been very complimentary of me,” said the Ultimate Fighter winner and two-time coach.
What the two have talked about in prefight interviews is like any fighter; how they will be victorious in the end and how their opponent will suffer.
In his interview, Bisping would go on to predict that the fight with Sonnen will be a “nasty, nasty war,” after which Sonnen will end up in the hospital,
“I am under no illusions – I am getting kicked, punched, elbowed and taken down by Chael but he’s getting punched, kicked, kneed, elbowed and knocked out in return. It will be a nasty, nasty war, but I’m beating him up and winning this fight. I am sure I will be taken down, but he’s going to have to worry about being submitted each time he does that. He won’t be able to hold me down and I know I can pick him apart standing.
“Chael and I have thrown a few little jokes here and there but that’s because we’ve both got a sense of humour. And he’ll need that sense of humour after he goes to the hospital on Saturday night just like seven of my last eight opponents have.”
If Bisping can deliver on his words, he will receive the first title shot in his six-year career in the UFC.
Regardless of who wins this fight, both fighters will, according to Bisping, “look like car-crash victims on Sunday AM,” and could very well deliver the evening’s Fight of the Night.
Whether you just have a short downtime during work, or don’t want a lengthy breakdown, these “Quick Breaks” are for you. “Quick Breaks” are short breakdowns of upcoming fights with a summed-up focus of strengths, weaknesses and variables. This will analyze what could happen in the fight, and end with a prediction. 
