Tag: MMA

Uriah Hall vs. Chris Leben, Dustin Poirier vs. Diego Brandao Slated for UFC 168

The madness continues, ladies and gentlemen, with two more big fights announced for this December. The UFC, via Twitter, have announced two fights for the already-stacked UFC 168 year-end card.

Welcome Thursday with big #UFC168 slugfests: @DustinPoiri…

The madness continues, ladies and gentlemen, with two more big fights announced for this December. The UFC, via Twitter, have announced two fights for the already-stacked UFC 168 year-end card.

That’s right! Diego Brandao vs. Dustin Poirier and Uriah Hall vs. Chris Leben. Both fights, on paper, are almost certainly going to be barn-burning slugfests.

Diego Brandao and Dustin Poirier are two featherweights jockeying for position on the UFC’s rankings.

Brandao, who won The Ultimate Fighter season 14’s featherweight tournament with a shocking first-round armbar, owns a solid 4-1 record thus far, but has been struggling with cardio trouble in his recent fights. Still, he is riding a three-fight winning streak and, in spite of some imperfections, he really does leave it all in the cage.

Poirier, meanwhile, went far in the featherweight division from 2010 through 2012, racking up a five-fight winning streak over some solid competition. However, that streak was ended in spectacular fashion as he was dissected by Chan-Sung Jung, and lost again just months later to Cub Swanson. There is no shame in that, though, and he has bounced back most recently with an exciting back-and-forth decision win over Erik Koch.

This featherweight tilt will either cement Poirier‘s spot in the division’s top-10, or send Diego Brandao rocketing into that group.

While Brandao and Poirier are moving up, Chris Leben and Uriah Hall have been heading in precisely the opposite direction.

Leben, a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter season 1, experienced something of a career renaissance in 2010, but has since gone into a hard free fall, experiencing two lopsided beatdowns at the hands of Brian Stann and Mark Munoz. This was followed by a year-long suspension for painkillers and two ugly, sloppy decision losses.

Hall has also been harshly falling. After achieving overnight stardom on The Ultimate Fighter season 17, he ended up suffering a huge upset loss at the hands of Kelvin Gastellum in the season’s finals. He followed this up with a heavily-marketed, but much-maligned, decision loss to previous welterweight washout John Howard. This left many speculating if he was mentally capable of handling a professional fighting career.

So why is this an exciting bout? Well, both fighters have shown themselves capable of putting on an amazing show, and both have their backs to the wall. That will likely mean fireworks.

UFC 168 is headlined by two huge title rematches in Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva 2, and Ronda Rousey vs. Miesha Tate 2. The event takes place December 28.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 166 Fight Card: Luke Rockhold Injured, Tim Boetsch Now Meets CB Dollaway

Luke Rockhold has been forced out of his UFC 166 matchup with Tim Boetsch. Replacing the former Strikeforce champion will be CB Dollaway.
The switch was reported during Wednesday’s episode of UFC Tonight on Fox Sports 1.
In May, Rockhold made…

Luke Rockhold has been forced out of his UFC 166 matchup with Tim Boetsch. Replacing the former Strikeforce champion will be CB Dollaway.

The switch was reported during Wednesday’s episode of UFC Tonight on Fox Sports 1.

In May, Rockhold made his UFC debut against the surging Vitor Belfort and suffered a knockout loss. Though still in search of his first UFC win, Rockhold remains the No. 8 contender in the middleweight division.

A bout with No. 10-ranked Boetsch would have given Rockhold a chance to bounce right back into the race for the 185-pound championship. However, the American Kickboxing Academy fighter will now have to sit out and recover from his knee injury.

Former light heavyweight, Boetsch became a contender in the middleweight class by winning his first four fights at 185 pounds. However, “The Barbarian” has since been slumping, losing to Costa Philippou and Mark Munoz in his past two outings.

While a matchup with Rockhold would have given Boetsch an opportunity to move upward in the middleweight division, a bout with Dollaway could be seen as a much-needed step down in competition for a fighter in danger of losing three in a row.

As Boetsch has been slipping, Dollaway is coming off of back-to-back wins. Decision wins over Jason Miller and Daniel Sarafian haven’t put Dollaway very near title contention, but beating Boetsch on short notice could put the TUF 7 runner-up within striking distance of the top 10.

UFC 166 will be held at the Toyota Center in Houston on Oct. 19. With Boetsch‘s change in opponents, here is how the fight card now looks:

 

UFC 166 Main Card 

  • Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos
  • Daniel Cormier vs. Roy Nelson
  • Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez
  • Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Shawn Jordan
  • John Dodson vs. Darrell Montague

 

UFC 166 Fox Sports 1 Prelims 

  • Tim Boetsch vs. CB Dollaway
  • Hector Lombard vs. Nate Marquardt
  • Jessica Eye vs. Sarah Kaufman
  • KJ Noons vs. George Sotiropoulos

 

UFC 166 Online Prelims

  • Adlan Amagov vs. TJ Waldburger
  • Tony Ferguson vs. Mike Rio
  • Jeremy Larsen vs. Charles Oliveira
  • Kyogi Horiguchi vs. Dustin Pague

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 165: Preliminary Card Predictions

As UFC 165 closes in, the anticipation for the light heavyweight title match between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson grows. It is one of the more intriguing light heavyweight championship fights in recent times due to the Swede’s size and length.
Be…

As UFC 165 closes in, the anticipation for the light heavyweight title match between Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson grows. It is one of the more intriguing light heavyweight championship fights in recent times due to the Swede’s size and length.

Before that fight, UFC 165 has a stacked preliminary card featuring some top Canadian talent. It should set the pace for what looks like a fantastic card.

Here are the predictions for the prelims of UFC 165.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 165: 3 Burning Questions We Have About Jon Jones

Everybody knows how good Jon Jones is.
He has fought his way to the top of the light heavyweight hill to gain the status as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet.
Jones has accomplished this gigantic feat so early in his career by…

Everybody knows how good Jon Jones is.

He has fought his way to the top of the light heavyweight hill to gain the status as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet.

Jones has accomplished this gigantic feat so early in his career by combining tantalizing physical attributes with unheralded offensive potency.  That’s something we rarely see in today’s sport, and it’s the very reason he’s the consensus king of combat.

But as good as the champ is—and this goes for any professional athlete—he is not invincible.  It may look like he is when he’s throwing standing elbows, landing crisp leg kicks and defending with precision, but everyone is susceptible to slipping up eventually (Anderson Silva).

Jones’ upcoming battle with the 6’5″ Alexander Gustafsson may already seem like just another notch in Jones’ belt, but that’s actually a very intricate mirage.

The Swedish challenger is one of the best young prospects in the sport, and he has all the tools to one day be a world champion.

Whether he’ll reach that potential this Saturday remains to be seen, but we—and Jones—must be cautious about underestimating “The Mauler.”

With that said, there are a few important questions Jones must answer—questions that will not only impact his upcoming title defense but also his career, legacy and overall well-being.

 

How will he deal with Gustafsson‘s size?

As it stands right now, Gustafsson is the biggest opponent Jones has ever faced.  His reach is ridiculous, his striking is rangy, and his hands are dangerous.

Maybe Jones took this fight to demonstrate that size isn’t a problem for him.  But for a guy who has mostly defeated veterans on the decline over the past few years, accepting a war with a young wolf could come back to bite him.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Jones reacts to not only Gustafsson‘s offense but also his defense.  The champ may find it difficult to land all the shin kicks and lunging elbows he’s used to building victories around.

As crazy as it sounds, Jones could get caught if he isn’t cautious about the Swede’s deadly posture.

 

Can he pull off another impressive finish?

This question sort of goes hand in hand with the previous one, but it’s important nonetheless.  For Jones to truly solidify himself as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, he has to be able to finish young and hungry contenders.

Gustafsson fits that bill on all levels, so it’s important Jones puts on a good show.  If Jones wins by decision or gets caught early and has to fight for points, some people could consider that a miniature failure.

Georges St-Pierre is really the only high-level champion who makes a living out of grinding out decisions.  Jones isn’t that type of fighter.  His bread and butter is battering opponents, tiring them out and taking their Octagon souls before the final buzzer goes off.

If he isn’t able to demonstrate the dominance and offensive explosiveness he has in the past, which could be a result of Gustafsson‘s size and youth, some people might look at his victories over aging ex-champions and wonder.

 

Will this be his last fight at 205?

There has been a lot of speculation regarding what Jones plans to do after he takes care of the business at hand.

That business at hand is defending the light heavyweight title against Gustafsson, and those potential future plans revolve around moving up and competing as a heavyweight.

Some might consider such a move absolute insanity. Jones is only 26 years old, and he is a polarized MMA torchbearer. But while the decision might seem somewhat unjust and self-driven, Jones could fare well by packing on a few extra pounds.

He seems very interested in making the move fairly soon, and Saturday may very well be the last time we see “Bones” standing inside the Octagon as a 205-pounder.

For more UFC news and coverage,

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 165: 3 Burning Questions We Have About Jon Jones

Everybody knows how good Jon Jones is.
He has fought his way to the top of the light heavyweight hill to gain the status as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet.
Jones has accomplished this gigantic feat so early in his career by…

Everybody knows how good Jon Jones is.

He has fought his way to the top of the light heavyweight hill to gain the status as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet.

Jones has accomplished this gigantic feat so early in his career by combining tantalizing physical attributes with unheralded offensive potency.  That’s something we rarely see in today’s sport, and it’s the very reason he’s the consensus king of combat.

But as good as the champ is—and this goes for any professional athlete—he is not invincible.  It may look like he is when he’s throwing standing elbows, landing crisp leg kicks and defending with precision, but everyone is susceptible to slipping up eventually (Anderson Silva).

Jones’ upcoming battle with the 6’5″ Alexander Gustafsson may already seem like just another notch in Jones’ belt, but that’s actually a very intricate mirage.

The Swedish challenger is one of the best young prospects in the sport, and he has all the tools to one day be a world champion.

Whether he’ll reach that potential this Saturday remains to be seen, but we—and Jones—must be cautious about underestimating “The Mauler.”

With that said, there are a few important questions Jones must answer—questions that will not only impact his upcoming title defense but also his career, legacy and overall well-being.

 

How will he deal with Gustafsson‘s size?

As it stands right now, Gustafsson is the biggest opponent Jones has ever faced.  His reach is ridiculous, his striking is rangy, and his hands are dangerous.

Maybe Jones took this fight to demonstrate that size isn’t a problem for him.  But for a guy who has mostly defeated veterans on the decline over the past few years, accepting a war with a young wolf could come back to bite him.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Jones reacts to not only Gustafsson‘s offense but also his defense.  The champ may find it difficult to land all the shin kicks and lunging elbows he’s used to building victories around.

As crazy as it sounds, Jones could get caught if he isn’t cautious about the Swede’s deadly posture.

 

Can he pull off another impressive finish?

This question sort of goes hand in hand with the previous one, but it’s important nonetheless.  For Jones to truly solidify himself as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, he has to be able to finish young and hungry contenders.

Gustafsson fits that bill on all levels, so it’s important Jones puts on a good show.  If Jones wins by decision or gets caught early and has to fight for points, some people could consider that a miniature failure.

Georges St-Pierre is really the only high-level champion who makes a living out of grinding out decisions.  Jones isn’t that type of fighter.  His bread and butter is battering opponents, tiring them out and taking their Octagon souls before the final buzzer goes off.

If he isn’t able to demonstrate the dominance and offensive explosiveness he has in the past, which could be a result of Gustafsson‘s size and youth, some people might look at his victories over aging ex-champions and wonder.

 

Will this be his last fight at 205?

There has been a lot of speculation regarding what Jones plans to do after he takes care of the business at hand.

That business at hand is defending the light heavyweight title against Gustafsson, and those potential future plans revolve around moving up and competing as a heavyweight.

Some might consider such a move absolute insanity. Jones is only 26 years old, and he is a polarized MMA torchbearer. But while the decision might seem somewhat unjust and self-driven, Jones could fare well by packing on a few extra pounds.

He seems very interested in making the move fairly soon, and Saturday may very well be the last time we see “Bones” standing inside the Octagon as a 205-pounder.

For more UFC news and coverage,

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 165: 3 Burning Questions We Have About Jon Jones

Everybody knows how good Jon Jones is.
He has fought his way to the top of the light heavyweight hill to gain the status as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet.
Jones has accomplished this gigantic feat so early in his career by…

Everybody knows how good Jon Jones is.

He has fought his way to the top of the light heavyweight hill to gain the status as the best pound-for-pound mixed martial artist on the planet.

Jones has accomplished this gigantic feat so early in his career by combining tantalizing physical attributes with unheralded offensive potency.  That’s something we rarely see in today’s sport, and it’s the very reason he’s the consensus king of combat.

But as good as the champ is—and this goes for any professional athlete—he is not invincible.  It may look like he is when he’s throwing standing elbows, landing crisp leg kicks and defending with precision, but everyone is susceptible to slipping up eventually (Anderson Silva).

Jones’ upcoming battle with the 6’5″ Alexander Gustafsson may already seem like just another notch in Jones’ belt, but that’s actually a very intricate mirage.

The Swedish challenger is one of the best young prospects in the sport, and he has all the tools to one day be a world champion.

Whether he’ll reach that potential this Saturday remains to be seen, but we—and Jones—must be cautious about underestimating “The Mauler.”

With that said, there are a few important questions Jones must answer—questions that will not only impact his upcoming title defense but also his career, legacy and overall well-being.

 

How will he deal with Gustafsson‘s size?

As it stands right now, Gustafsson is the biggest opponent Jones has ever faced.  His reach is ridiculous, his striking is rangy, and his hands are dangerous.

Maybe Jones took this fight to demonstrate that size isn’t a problem for him.  But for a guy who has mostly defeated veterans on the decline over the past few years, accepting a war with a young wolf could come back to bite him.

It’s going to be interesting to see how Jones reacts to not only Gustafsson‘s offense but also his defense.  The champ may find it difficult to land all the shin kicks and lunging elbows he’s used to building victories around.

As crazy as it sounds, Jones could get caught if he isn’t cautious about the Swede’s deadly posture.

 

Can he pull off another impressive finish?

This question sort of goes hand in hand with the previous one, but it’s important nonetheless.  For Jones to truly solidify himself as the greatest light heavyweight of all time, he has to be able to finish young and hungry contenders.

Gustafsson fits that bill on all levels, so it’s important Jones puts on a good show.  If Jones wins by decision or gets caught early and has to fight for points, some people could consider that a miniature failure.

Georges St-Pierre is really the only high-level champion who makes a living out of grinding out decisions.  Jones isn’t that type of fighter.  His bread and butter is battering opponents, tiring them out and taking their Octagon souls before the final buzzer goes off.

If he isn’t able to demonstrate the dominance and offensive explosiveness he has in the past, which could be a result of Gustafsson‘s size and youth, some people might look at his victories over aging ex-champions and wonder.

 

Will this be his last fight at 205?

There has been a lot of speculation regarding what Jones plans to do after he takes care of the business at hand.

That business at hand is defending the light heavyweight title against Gustafsson, and those potential future plans revolve around moving up and competing as a heavyweight.

Some might consider such a move absolute insanity. Jones is only 26 years old, and he is a polarized MMA torchbearer. But while the decision might seem somewhat unjust and self-driven, Jones could fare well by packing on a few extra pounds.

He seems very interested in making the move fairly soon, and Saturday may very well be the last time we see “Bones” standing inside the Octagon as a 205-pounder.

For more UFC news and coverage,

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com