There’s often so much going on during UFC on FOX events that some of the more intriguing storylines get lost amongst all the glamour and glitz of network television. Here are four important themes surrounding UFC on FOX 8: Johnson vs. Moraga that have been flying under the radar heading into this weekend’s show. Let us know what you think, and be sure to come back to CagePotato.com this Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT for our liveblog of the main card.
Is UFC On FOX 8 Make Or Break For The Flyweights?
UFC on FOX 8 is headlined by the flyweight title fight between reigning champion Demetrious Johnson and challenger John Moraga, and it’s a fight that could help the flyweight division explode if it’s exciting — or hold the division back if it’s a bore.
The last time that 125-pounders headlined an event was at UFC on FOX 6, when Johnson defended his title against John Dodson. The match won “Fight of the Night,” but that might not be the first thing that fans think of when they remember the event. Instead, they think of Anthony Pettis’s body kick KO of Donald Cerrone, or (for less positive reasons) Rampage Jackson’s last Octagon fight against Glover Teixeira.
It may be because flyweight fights so often go to decision, and the fans, especially casual fans, love to see knockouts and submissions. But it’s rare to see true KO power among 125-pound fighters, and the fact that flyweights tend to be extremely quick and nimble makes it harder for submissions to get locked in.
Demetrious Johnson certainly fits this stereotype, as he’s managed to go 27 rounds in his UFC career without securing a single stoppage victory. But Moraga has been an exception to the rule. Both of his Octagon appearances have ended in pleasingly violent finishes. Unfortunately, those finishes — a knockout of Ulysses Gomez at UFC on FOX 4 and a guillotine-choke submission of Chris Cariaso at UFC 155 — were both buried on the opening preliminary bouts of the cards they were on. In other words, even if you attended those events in person, you might have missed them. Despite being a title challenger in a main event fight on FOX, Moraga is still a stranger to most fans.
There’s often so much going on during UFC on FOX events that some of the more intriguing storylines get lost amongst all the glamour and glitz of network television. Here are four important themes surrounding UFC on FOX 8: Johnson vs. Moraga that have been flying under the radar heading into this weekend’s show. Let us know what you think, and be sure to come back to CagePotato.com this Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT for our liveblog of the main card.
Is UFC on FOX 8 Make or Break for the Flyweights?
UFC on FOX 8 is headlined by the flyweight title fight between reigning champion Demetrious Johnson and challenger John Moraga, and it’s a fight that could help the flyweight division explode if it’s exciting — or hold the division back if it’s a bore.
The last time that 125-pounders headlined an event was at UFC on FOX 6, when Johnson defended his title against John Dodson. The match won “Fight of the Night,” but that might not be the first thing that fans think of when they remember the event. Instead, they think of Anthony Pettis’s body kick KO of Donald Cerrone, or (for less positive reasons) Rampage Jackson’s last Octagon fight against Glover Teixeira.
It may be because flyweight fights so often go to decision, and the fans, especially casual fans, love to see knockouts and submissions. But it’s rare to see true KO power among 125-pound fighters, and the fact that flyweights tend to be extremely quick and nimble makes it harder for submissions to get locked in.
Demetrious Johnson certainly fits this stereotype, as he’s managed to go 27 rounds in his UFC career without securing a single stoppage victory. But Moraga has been an exception to the rule. Both of his Octagon appearances have ended in pleasingly violent finishes. Unfortunately, those finishes — a knockout of Ulysses Gomez at UFC on FOX 4 and a guillotine-choke submission of Chris Cariaso at UFC 155 — were both buried on the opening preliminary bouts of the cards they were on. In other words, even if you attended those events in person, you might have missed them. Despite being a title challenger in a main event fight on FOX, Moraga is still a stranger to most fans.
Johnson and Moraga are definitely under pressure to perform this weekend. If the fight ends in a boring, five-round unanimous decision, I don’t think the fans are going to be buying the flyweights going forward — and the UFC is already planning to have them headlining pay-per-views in the future. But if the fight ends in a spectacular finish? That could be the first step towards real interest in the division.
It’s make-or-break time for the flyweights at UFC on FOX 8. Now let’s see if they’re up for the challenge.
Will Rory MacDonald Be the Man to Dethrone Georges St-Pierre?
Canadian Rory MacDonald, who just turned 24, is quickly moving up the welterweight ranks, and a fight between MacDonald and UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre is going to be bandied about should “Ares” win in impressive fashion against Jake Ellenberger this weekend in the co-main event of UFC on FOX 8.
Of course, there’s a big problem with that matchup and it’s the fact that MacDonald and St-Pierre are longtime teammates and friends at TriStar Gym in Montreal. As MacDonald recently said on The MMA Hour: “We’re not fighting. Me and Georges are friends, we’re training partners. We’ll have our own arrangements and figure it all out when the time comes. It’s not going to come to us fighting.”
Then again, money has a way of changing people’s minds. (See also: “I back.“) Right now, there are only a few fresh contenders left for St-Pierre at welterweight: Johny Hendricks, who GSP faces next at UFC 167 in November; Ellenberger, who may get a title shot with a win over MacDonald; Demian Maia, who is quickly moving up the 170-pound ladder; Erick Silva, who the UFC would love to fast-track to a title shot thanks to his growing popularity in Brazil; and MacDonald, the quiet Canadian with a killer’s glare in his eyes.
After watching MacDonald embarrass BJ Penn, Che Mills, Mike Pyle, Nate Diaz and Mike Guymon, and put up a hell of a fight against Carlos Condit, MacDonald could be the UFC welterweight champion in a few years. It’s not Hendricks or Ellenberger or Maia who has the potential to take the belt away from St-Pierre, it’s the young Canuck MacDonald, and he can solidify his position as heir to the welterweight throne with a victory over Ellenberger this weekend.
Michael Chiesa: From TUF Winner To Potential Lightweight Contender
Michael Chiesa has one of the best stories in sports, but the UFC has done a terrible job promoting him even though he is on his way to becoming a contender in the lightweight division.
Just days after entering the TUF 15 house, Chiesa’s father passed away, but instead of letting the tragedy paralyze him, Chiesa instead used it for strength, and ended up running the table by defeating all of his opponents on his way to capturing the Ultimate Fighter crown. Not bad for a 25-year-old from Spokane, Washington.
After defeating Anton Kuivanen at UFC 157 in his first post-TUF fight in the UFC, Chiesa is now 9-0 as a professional (with seven of those wins by submission inside the first two rounds) and he takes his undefeated record into the cage this weekend in a lightweight battle against Jorge Masvidal that headlines the FX prelims.
It’s obvious the UFC sees the tremendous talents that Chiesa has, and wants to test him against a tough opponent like Masvidal. And it’s a fight that, if he wins, will move Chiesa up from the list of TUF winners who never amount to much to that rare class of TUF winners who have a legitimate shot of holding a UFC title.
Look for Chiesa to use the hometown crowd to his advantage this weekend as he attempts to overcome the odds yet again and take out the far-more experienced Masvidal. And if he does, look for Chiesa to be fighting someone in the top 10 in his next fight, something which seemed unthinkable just over a year ago when the scraggly, lanky, Cody McKenzie-lookalike who no one ever gave a chance first appeared on the UFC’s reality show.
It’s possible that one of the pioneers of the sport will be competing in his last mixed martial arts bout this weekend, as veteran Aaron Riley returns from a two-year injury layoff to take on Justin Salas on the Facebook prelims of UFC on FOX 8.
The owner of a 30-13-1 MMA record, Riley has been competing in the sport since 1997, and despite having an up-and-down career he’s somehow managed to keep a job with the top fighting promotion in the world. It’s a testament to the excitement he always delivers in the cage and his will to overcome injuries and continue on with his career when it likely made more sense to retire, especially following broken jaws in his fights against Ross Pearson and Tony Ferguson.
Whenever I look at a fighter’s record and I see that they’ve fought for promotions like HOOKnSHOOT (watch his epic fights with Yves Edwards if you haven’t already), Shooto and PRIDE, I automatically develop a higher level of respect for them. These are the types of fighters who set the table for the thousands that followed. It’s guys like Riley who are the reason that many young men and women around the world realized they could make a living out of doing what they love to do — being a mixed martial artist.
Hopefully it’s not the end of Riley’s career this weekend, but with another loss, his UFC record would drop to 3-6 and that’s likely not good enough to stick around any longer. For a guy who first appeared in the Octagon at UFC 37 in 2002, Riley has nothing to be ashamed of if this is truly the last time we see him fight. But let’s not count him out just yet.
(Jorge Masvidal, a man after our own heart | Photo CombatLifestyle)
Undefeated TUF 15 champion Michael Chiesa will now face former Strikeforce lightweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal on the UFC on Fox 8 card which goes down on July 27th in Seattle, WA. Chiesa was originally scheduled to face Swedish submission machine Reza Madadi until visa issues forced him out of the bout this week. Seems to be a lot of that going around…
The news was broken on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight program last night. Chiesa is coming off of a submission win this past February at UFC 157 and Masvidal most recently fought and won three weeks ago in his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 7.
The Chiesa/Masvidal fight is an interesting one because of what a big opportunity it is for both guys. Masvidal gets a big name in just his second UFC bout and a chance to become more known to fans. Chiesa’s opportunity is more of personal growth than anything, since it is a chance for him to fight a super tough veteran of the division and see how he stacks up – though with the negative being that only niche fans really know how good Masvidal is.
Who ya got, Nation? “GameBred” or “The Fighting Hippie?”
(Jorge Masvidal, a man after our own heart | Photo CombatLifestyle)
Undefeated TUF 15 champion Michael Chiesa will now face former Strikeforce lightweight title challenger Jorge Masvidal on the UFC on Fox 8 card which goes down on July 27th in Seattle, WA. Chiesa was originally scheduled to face Swedish submission machine Reza Madadi until visa issues forced him out of the bout this week. Seems to be a lot of that going around…
The news was broken on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight program last night. Chiesa is coming off of a submission win this past February at UFC 157 and Masvidal most recently fought and won three weeks ago in his UFC debut at UFC on Fox 7.
The Chiesa/Masvidal fight is an interesting one because of what a big opportunity it is for both guys. Masvidal gets a big name in just his second UFC bout and a chance to become more known to fans. Chiesa’s opportunity is more of personal growth than anything, since it is a chance for him to fight a super tough veteran of the division and see how he stacks up – though with the negative being that only niche fans really know how good Masvidal is.
Who ya got, Nation? “GameBred” or “The Fighting Hippie?”
(The plaque is nice and all, but Chiesa would have gladly entered the TUF 15 tournament for two dollars.)
Although we can’t exactly accuse Spencer Fisher of violating our ban on MMA fighters retiring only to immediately unretire, he came about as close as humanly possible when he told various media outlets that his trilogy-completing fight with Sam Stout at UFC on FX 4 last June would probably be his last. As we originally remarked, it seemed about as fitting an end to his MMA career as Fisher could have asked for — his pair of previous fights with Stout had not only fueled an intense rivalry between the two (not on the level of Paraguay vs. Uruguay, but still), but had earned the duo Fight of the Night honors on two separate occasions. That he suffered a razor-thin split decision loss should not have cheapened the significance of the moment, at least in our minds.
In either case, it appears that Fisher is not quite ready to call it quits, as he has been booked to face fellow UFC vet Yves Edwards at UFC on FOX 8, which transpires from the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington on July 27th. Fisher has dropped 5 of his last 6 contests, whereas Edwards has gone win-loss in his last 5 fights and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Strikeforce newcomer Isaac Vallie-Flagg at UFC 156. For Fisher’s sake, we hope he wins this, because ending your career on your own terms sure beats joining the And Now He’s Fired club.
And now let’s address the possible person of interest pictured above, who has also been booked for UFC on FOX 8…
(The plaque is nice and all, but Chiesa would have gladly entered the TUF 15 tournament for two dollars.)
Although we can’t exactly accuse Spencer Fisher of violating our ban on MMA fighters retiring only to immediately unretire, he came about as close as humanly possible when he told various media outlets that his trilogy-completing fight with Sam Stout at UFC on FX 4 last June would probably be his last. As we originally remarked, it seemed about as fitting an end to his MMA career as Fisher could have asked for — his pair of previous fights with Stout had not only fueled an intense rivalry between the two (not on the level of Paraguay vs. Uruguay, but still), but had earned the duo Fight of the Night honors on two separate occasions. That he suffered a razor-thin split decision loss should not have cheapened the significance of the moment, at least in our minds.
In either case, it appears that Fisher is not quite ready to call it quits, as he has been booked to face fellow UFC vet Yves Edwards at UFC on FOX 8, which transpires from the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington on July 27th. Fisher has dropped 5 of his last 6 contests, whereas Edwards has gone win-loss in his last 5 fights and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Strikeforce newcomer Isaac Vallie-Flagg at UFC 156. For Fisher’s sake, we hope he wins this, because ending your career on your own terms sure beats joining the And Now He’s Fired club.
And now let’s address the possible person of interest pictured above, who has also been booked for UFC on FOX 8…
Since making mincemeat of his three opponents during his run on the fifteenth season of The Ultimate Fighter, Michael Chiesa has collected two straight victories in the octagon via rear-naked choke (sound familiar?). Although he’s heard a fair share of criticism in regards to his standup game (again), Chiesa’s smothering Jiu-Jitsu attack has been the kiss of death for all of his opponents thus far in his MMA career.
Unfortunately for Chiesa, he’ll be facing an equally dangerous submission artist when he takes on Swedish prospect Reza Madadi, also at UFC on FOX 8. Like Chiesa, Madadi has collected both of his octagon victories via submission and is coming off a third round, come-from-behind Brabo choke victory over TUF something-or-other runner-up Michael Johnson at UFC on FUEL 9.
Who do you like for this pair of lightweight battles, Potato Nation?
“Less than a week out from his backyard bout, Seattle’s Michael Chiesa has been forced to withdraw from UFC on FOX due to illness. The TUF Live season winner had been first slated to fight Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafaello ‘Tractor’ Oliveira, then lightweight Marcus LeVesseur when Oliveira was injured,” UFC.com reported.
The particular illness was not disclosed but one imagines that Chiesa would have to be awfully jacked-up to pull out of such a huge fight for himself. It would have been Chiesa’s first UFC bout since winning TUF Live at the series’ finale show last June, and he would have been fighting in front of his hometown fans in Seattle, on a FX-televised platform before a monster FOX event.
“Less than a week out from his backyard bout, Seattle’s Michael Chiesa has been forced to withdraw from UFC on FOX due to illness. The TUF Live season winner had been first slated to fight Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafaello ‘Tractor’ Oliveira, then lightweight Marcus LeVesseur when Oliveira was injured,” UFC.com reported.
The particular illness was not disclosed but one imagines that Chiesa would have to be awfully jacked-up to pull out of such a huge fight for himself. It would have been Chiesa’s first UFC bout since winning TUF Live at the series’ finale show last June, and he would have been fighting in front of his hometown fans in Seattle, on a FX-televised platform before a monster FOX event.
Its all fun and games when Strikeforce events go to crap because everyone in the freaking world is injured at the same time. But MMA needs the UFC to do well on Fox. Get well, soon, Maverick. We hope that UFC on Fox on 5 doesn’t lose any more bouts or else they may have trouble filling their Facebook, FX, and Fox slots.
(Brookins and Chiesa will be fighting hard for the UFC’s new “Filthiest Hair” bonus. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this gallery, click here.)
Since he’s been recapping the season for us anyway, Elias Cepeda is back to handle liveblog duties for this evening. Round-by-round results from the Ultimate Fighter Live Finale main card broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please, no comment-section lurking; if you’ve got something to say, share it with the class.
(Brookins and Chiesa will be fighting hard for the UFC’s new “Filthiest Hair” bonus. / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this gallery, click here.)
Since he’s been recapping the season for us anyway, Elias Cepeda is back to handle liveblog duties for this evening. Round-by-round results from the Ultimate Fighter Live Finale main card broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 9 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and please, no comment-section lurking; if you’ve got something to say, share it with the class.
Sorry for the delay, folks – my cable went out. We are in the second round of John Cofer vs. Justin Lawrence now.
We pick up the action midway through the 2nd…
Both men are swinging big and in combinations each time and are showing fatigue. Overhand right from Lawrence finishes up a combination that includes leg kicks. Lawrence gets inside with punches, they clinch up, Cofer lands a knee to the head.
Cofer takes Lawrence’s back while standing and suplexes the kid. Cofer takes Lawrence’s back on the feet and works him into a face-down position and looks for the rear naked choke. Lawrence escapes, stands up and jumps into the full guard. Round ends.
Round 3
Lawrence lands a foot kick straight to the jaw of Cofer as he backs away and knocks him out cold!
“I’m here in the UFC and I’m here to stay,” Lawrence declares.
Max Halloway vs. Pat Schilling
Rd 1
Halloway with his hands low, Schilling shoots in for a single leg, switches to a high crotch but Halloway defends well. Schilling contines to press in, backs Halloway against the cage. Schilling hits a single leg but Halloway gets right back to his feet. Schilling lands a left kick, Halloway lands a body kick.
Halloway lands a long jab. Schilling shoots in but gets stuffed. Schilling rushes in with uppercuts that miss. Schilling throws a spinning back fist. Halloway throws a head kick that is blocked. Halloway trying to mix in left hooks to the body in and they are landing. Halloway misses a flying knee, lands a leg kick and head kick.
Schilling rushes in with uppercuts and hooks again, all miss. He shoots in from too far away and Halloway sprawls and stands. Schilling lands the cross of a one-two combo. Schilling shoots for a double leg against the cage with ten seconds left, he rolls for a knee bar at the close of the round and it ends with him extending Halloway’s leg. Saved by the bell?
Rd 2
Halloway lands an overhand right. Schilling ducks down, Halloway throws and misses another flying knee. Schilling doesn’t get the take down, they are back on their feet. Halloway starting to find his range with punches to Schilling’s head.
Schilling half commits to a take down attempt after getting hurt on the feet. Halloway separates and they are back on their feet. Halloway just unloading on Schilling now with punches and knees. Schilling absorbs shots, backs away and then circles out before another half-hearted shot. Halloway lands another two body punches and then an over hand right to Schilling’s head as Schilling shoots.
Schilling shoots, gets stuffed and has trouble getting up to his feet. The body shots have appeared to have really taken Schilling’s spirit. Schilling shoots for an ankle pick and gets stuffed again. Schilling is hurt but has the presence of mind to keep his hands up and to try to circle away when he can.
Halloway hurts Schilling again with body shots, his hands drop and his mouth opens. He shoots for another take down, gets nothing. Schilling lands a spinning back first but then eats a check counter left hand. Halloway drops Schilling with punches against the cage and tees off on him as the bell sounds. This time Schilling is saved by the bell
Rd 3
Jon Anik mentions that Schilling told his corner that his right shoulder is injured. Halloway throws rapid-fire jabs that land. Schilling counters with a big right cross that lands on Halloway’s head. Schilling tries to get a head and arm control from the feet, Halloway backs away. Schilling shoots low for a take down and whiffs.
Halloway taunts Schilling, Schilling throws a spinning back fist followed by a side kick. Both are blocked. Halloway lands a left kick to Schilling’s body. Halloway lands a stiff jab, and another. A left hook, right cross punch combo from Halloway that drops Schilling. Halloway refuses to go down to the ground to try and finish and they are back on their feet with under a minute left. Halloway with a left hook to the body and right cross to the head. Halloway attempts a jump-off-the-cage spinning back kick. He rushes Schilling with punches and kicks. Halloway attempts a jumping spinning back kick, misses and the fight finishes.
Official decision is next.
All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Halloway. The youngest fighter currently on the UFC roster says he wanted to show that he “belonged in the UFC.” He clearly does.
Jonathan Brookins vs. Charles Oliveira
Rd 1
Oliveira working kicks to the leg and body. Brookins gets inside and lands some nice dirty boxing punches to the head. Oliveira lands some hard knees to the body from the Thai plum. Oliveira misses a knee to the head and Brookins slips under and gets a double leg take down against the cage. Oliveira works a high guard and shoots an arm bar up at Brookins. Brookins defends and stands up.
They are both on their feet. Brookins lands a straight cross. Oliveira has Brookins backed against the cage now and Brookins’ chin starts to come up. Oliveira lands a huge over hand right that hurts Brookins.
Brookins gathers himself but still has his chin up and hands low as they stand up. He is eating punch after punch to the chin from Oliveira. Still, Brookins hanging tough. He starts to eat leg kicks to the inside and outside of his lead leg. Oliveira misses with a flying knee, Brookins catches a leg but fails to use it to score a take down.
Rd 2
Kenny Florian uses his multilingual skills to tell us that Oliveira’s corner was telling their fighter that Brookins has no hands, during the break. Brookins comes out hard, gets to work with slaps, yes slaps, to the head of Oliveira. The Brazilian responds with punches to the head. The punches look like they hurt more.
Brookins changes levels for another take down attempt, Oliveira gets a body lock of his own and lands a slam take down of his own. Brookins tries to lock in a guillotine choke but Oliveira escapes. Oliveira stands up, lands some short elbows to Brookins’ head as the tUF 12 winner tries to stand up. Oliveira locks in an arm-in guillotine from a D’arce grip, falls back into his own guard and gets the tap out win.
Oliveira with the 2nd-round submission win over Brookins.
Time for the TUF finale, nation!
Michael Chiesa vs. Al Iaquinta
Rd 1
Iaquinta immediately lands two big right hands. Al catches a leg kick from Mike and throws some punches. Chiesa shoots for a single, Al goes down but gets back to his feet. Al pushes the pace.
Mike finishes a punch combo with a leg kick that is caught. Al goes for a take down but Mike gets his back and drags him down to the mat. Chiesa with Al’s back, face-up, working for a rear naked choke with nearly three minutes left in the round. Chiesa gets the choke, Al refuses to tap and goes to sleep!
Michael Chiesa finishes up the most dramatic story in TUF history by winning the entire season in impressive fashion just weeks after the death of his father. Amazing.
And, oh yeah, Chiesa wins a sweet Harley.
“It has been such a journey…no way I was going to lose this fight,” Mike says.
Jake Ellenberger vs. Martin Kampmann in a welterweight title challenger eliminator, or something.
Kampann comes out to Three-6 Mafia. I love it. Danish crunk rap, ftw. Ellenberger goes with the more tried and true inspirational “Till I collapse,” by Eminem.
Rd 1
The pair feel each other out with no strikes or shots taken for the first twenty seconds or so. Ellenberger lands a huge left hand flush to the jaw of Kampmann. The Dane looks to be out but hangs on somehow through a ground strike onslaught from Ellenberger. Kampann wraps full guard and controls Ellenberger’s posture.
Ellenberger has Kampman pressed against the cage on his back with three minutes left. Ellenberger briefly postures up and throws a flurry of strikes. Kampmann survives again, tries for a switch, then a guillotine. Ellenberger defending the choke.
Under a minute left, Ellenbeger still defending as Kampann tries to get his grip. He doesn’t but gets up to his feet. Ellenberger continues to crowd him. Kampmann goes for a take down of his own with seconds left in the round but doesn’t get it. Round ends.
Rd 2
They get right back at it with furious punches! Kampmann rocks Ellenberger. The wrestler buckles but does not stop swinging back! Ellenberger lands another huge left hook on Kampmann. The race around the ring, throwing hard punches at each other’s heads.
Kampmann’s nose is cut badly. Kampmann drops and apparently knocks Ellenberger out with a knee to the head and follows up with strikes and referee Steve Mazzagatti steps in before he can do more damage. Fight over.
Another come from behind win for Kampmann!
“I need to get punched a little bit to wake up,” Kampmann says. Geez, dude. I guess so. Kampmann has made a career out of taking damage and then managing to gut through and finish.
