Tag: MMA

Gleison Tibau vs. Michael Johnson Added to UFC 168

The month of December continues to be stacked with great fights. As first reported on Thursday by MMAweekly.com, Gleison Tibau will be taking on Blackzilian member Michael Johnson at UFC 168.
Runner-up of The Ultimate Fighter 12, Johnson…

The month of December continues to be stacked with great fights. As first reported on Thursday by MMAweekly.com, Gleison Tibau will be taking on Blackzilian member Michael Johnson at UFC 168.

Runner-up of The Ultimate Fighter 12, Johnson earned the biggest win of his career in August when he thoroughly dominated popular lightweight Joe Lauzon. It was such a statement that UFC president Dana White referred to it as “one of the most lopsided, one-sided beatings you’ll ever see in the UFC.”

Prior to the victory, Johnson was struggling to find his place inside the Octagon. In consecutive fights, the Mo. native gave up losses to considerable underdogs Myles Jury and Reza Madadi, which dropped his UFC record to 4-4. 

Tibau is one of the largest lightweights in MMA, cutting upward of 35 pounds to make weight. Having gotten weight cutting down to a science, Tibau enters the cage well above 180 pounds. In 20 UFC appearances, the Brazilian has never missed weight.

Over the course of his 20 trips to the Octagon, Tibau has defeated like likes of Rafael dos Anjos, Jamie Varner and Jeremy Stephens.

Although he is a respected member of the Zuffa roster, losses to Evan Dunham, Jim Miller and Khabib Nurmagomedov have Tibau stuck in somewhat of a gatekeeper role. A loss to an up-and-comer like Johnson would cause irreparable damage to his hopes of one day fighting for UFC gold. 

On the other hand, should Johnson be able to upset the human takedown machine, his career would be at a high point and “The Menace” would be knocking on the front door of the lightweight rankings.

UFC 168 takes place on Saturday, Dec. 28, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. It is currently headlined by a pair of championship rematches. In the main event, Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva do battle for the middleweight title one more time, while UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey takes on challenger Miesha Tate in the co-main event.

 

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UFC 165: With a Dominant Win, Jon Jones Will Not Immediately Move to Heavyweight

With a win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will do more than simply retain his title.
Not only would he score a win over the one foe everyone expects to challenge him, but he would also top th…

With a win over Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, current UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will do more than simply retain his title.

Not only would he score a win over the one foe everyone expects to challenge him, but he would also top the records of former UFC welterweight champion Matt Hughes and UFC Hall of Famer and current Bellator 106 headliner Tito Ortiz. Ortiz holds the records for most successful defenses, most consecutive successful defenses and most successful wins in UFC light heavyweight title bouts.

Jones knows where it will put him if this, his sixth UFC light heavyweight title defense, goes as planned on Saturday night in Toronto. Should he pass the achievements of Hughes and Ortiz, he will zero in on the current welterweight title record of reigning UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre.

Of course, once that happens, fans will automatically question whether he will finally move to heavyweight.

Rest assured, he will move to heavyweight and put himself in position to earn a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship, but he will not do it on the strength of the win over Gustafsson.

Remember, Brazilian light heavyweight prospect Glover Teixeira arguably earned his own crack at Saturday’s winner with his win over Ryan Bader just a few weeks ago, and Daniel Cormier has already declared his intentions to face Jones with a win over Roy Nelson at UFC 166.

In short, Jones will have to contend with at least one or two threats to the throne he holds before he can set his sights on the most must-see division in the MMA world.

But knowing Jones, he will not keep his mind off Gustafsson, whose reach disadvantage stands a bit higher than advertised. The fact that we do not know what version of “The Mauler” we will see makes the prospect of Jones at heavyweight all but an “if and only if” situation right now.

Then again, we are speaking of Jon “Bones” Jones, a freak athlete who excels at destroying his opponents either at their own game or by breaking them in areas where they previously held some edge. Thus, he should crush Gustafsson mentally, kill off his hopes of looking like he belongs in the UFC and destroy him physically on Saturday night, just as he did to the men who challenged him before, right?

Come Saturday night, we will find out. Just because Jones can do it, and just because he did it before, doesn’t necessarily mean he will do it again. Just the same, just because Gustafsson made easy work of top-ranked individuals before, does not mean he will unseat the champ.

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Kelvin Gastelum vs. Court McGee Added to UFC on Fox 9

The UFC on Fox 9 main event recently received a makeover when Josh Thomson stepped in for the still-injured TJ Grant. Now the remainder of the card is filling out.
First it was the addition of Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown, now it is another w…

The UFC on Fox 9 main event recently received a makeover when Josh Thomson stepped in for the still-injured TJ Grant. Now the remainder of the card is filling out.

First it was the addition of Carlos Condit vs. Matt Brown, now it is another welterweight affair, this one between a pair of Ultimate Fighter winners, namely Kelvin Gastelum and Court McGee.

The fight announcement was made by Gastelum via his Twitter account.

Gastelum will enter the December tussle coming off of a sensational performance against Brian Melancon. After cinching up a TUF title at 185, the 21-year-old dropped a division for his encore bout and officially announced his presence at welterweight with a first-round submission victory.

With the win, Gastelum marked himself as one of the division’s top prospects. He’ll have the opportunity to solidify that lofty title when he takes on McGee at UFC on Fox 9.

Like Gastelum, “The Crusher” made his mark in the UFC by winning a TUF title at 185. After following up with some brief success at middleweight, McGee hit a pair of roadblocks in the form of Costa Philippou and Nick Ring. He then made the decision to drop down to 170, a move that has since paid off in a big way.

Since making the drop, McGee has righted the ship, posting a 2-0 record. Most recently he used his trademark pressuring attack to outpoint Robert Whittaker at UFC Fight Night 27 back in August.

The Gastelum vs. McGee matchup is a solid addition to a UFC on Fox 9 card that is looking very…very strong. 

With an impressive performance either man could vault himself up the divisional ladder, likely gaining the footing for a fight against a top-10 opponent. 

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UFC 165: Previewing Pat Healy vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov Clash

Although not the main feature on tap for Saturday’s UFC 165, Pat Healy and Khabib Nurmagomedov could very well steal the show.
The two intense lightweights will commence the main card with what promises to be a bruising, unforgiving battle between forc…

Although not the main feature on tap for Saturday’s UFC 165, Pat Healy and Khabib Nurmagomedov could very well steal the show.

The two intense lightweights will commence the main card with what promises to be a bruising, unforgiving battle between forceful grapplers.

Both fighters are relatively new to the UFC scene, but each man brings an array of MMA experience with them into the Octagon. Healy was stripped of a victory in his only UFC bout while Nurmagomedov has yet to lose regardless of the locale.

Here’s what you need to know heading into this massive showdown.

 

When: Saturday, Sept. 21 at 10 p.m. ET

Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Watch: Pay-Per-View

 

The Book on Healy

Healy made an impressive debut to UFC, handling Jim Miller last April. The 30-year-old landed 53 strikes to Miller’s 27, besting an experience competitor with a 22-4 record.

It was all for naught, however, as Healy tested positive for marijuana during the drug test. He was forced to abdicate his victory.

Healy, who won his last six fights before facing Miller, is 29-16 over the course of his career. And let’s ace it, marijuana is not exactly a performance-enhancer that embedded his submission victory at UFC 159.

The submission specialist has generated 10 tapouts and should look to increase that mark to 11 to handle another ferocious fighter. While the No. 10 lightweight contender is skilled at controlling a bout, he’ll face a tougher task in staying on top of Nurmagomedov.

As Healy attempts to avenge his last embarrassing win-turned-no-contest, look for him to attempt to utilize his veteran savvy over his younger opponent.

 

The Book on Nurmagomedov

The Russian beast’s unblemished 20-0 mark should scare anyone, but his sheer dominant style is even more terrifying.

Nurmagomedov has a takedown average of 8.17 per 15 minutes of fighting with 49 percent accuracy. During his last bout with Abel Trujillo, “The Eagle” dominated with a 21-1 takedown advantage, winning by unanimous decision.

He’s competed so well thus far that there’s little sampling on how he handles adversity. While Healy is counting on landing a submission, Nurmagomedov has never been placed in a situation to tap.

Nurmagomedov is actually a strikingly versatile fighter, having notched seven victories via knockout and seven by way of submission. He can win a technical fight but often doesn’t need to due to his strength as a grappler.

Getting his hand raised during UFC 165 would catapult the young fighter’s career trajectory. A win on the grand stage prompts him up the lightweight ladder and lifts him one fight closer to highlighting the main event one day. 

 

Prediction

This match will feature some crushing blows between two fighters looking to make a major name for themselves as a perennial main-carder. Healy holds the experience edge, but Nurmagomedov is a freight train that has not yet been derailed. Although Healy will hang tough and prove he belongs, he’ll fall short and become Nurmagomedov’s 21st victim. 

 

Note: All statistics courtesy of FightMetric.com.

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Jones vs. Gustafsson: Preview and Predictions for UFC 165’s Main Event

The light heavyweight title bout is going to be one of the most exciting fights of the night at UFC 165 on Saturday as Jon Jones will be taking on Alexander Gustafsson.  
The main event for Saturday night will feature two surprisingly tall fighter…

The light heavyweight title bout is going to be one of the most exciting fights of the night at UFC 165 on Saturday as Jon Jones will be taking on Alexander Gustafsson.  

The main event for Saturday night will feature two surprisingly tall fighters.  Jones is listed as 6’4” and is used to fighting shorter opponents.  Instead, he will be going up against the 6’5” Swede, who will look to dethrone the reigning champ.

Let’s take a look at a preview of the two fighters, followed by a prediction for who will walk away from Saturday night as the UFC light heavyweight champion.

 

Viewing Info

Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

When: Saturday, September 21; main card starts at 10 p.m. ET.

Viewing Info: Available through pay-per-view with your provider.

 

Fighter Previews

Alexander Gustafsson

15-1, 9 KO

There’s a reason that Gustafsson is referred to as “The Mauler.”

At 6’5”, he is an excellent stand-up fighter.  Nine of his wins have come by knockout, and he uses a combination of speed and strength to drop his opponents. He does a good job with his footwork and moving laterally to gain an edge on his adversaries.

After losing to Phil Davis back in 2010, Gustafsson turned his career around, winning his last six fights.  He has beaten the likes of Matt Hamill, James Te-Huna and Thiago Silva on his way to proving that he’s the top contender for the light heavyweight belt.

Despite being an inch taller than Jones, Gustafsson has a reach disadvantage, just like almost every other fighter who has faced the champ.  The reach difference is still 3.5 inches, which could be the difference maker in this fight.

 

Jon Jones

18-1, 9 KO

When it comes to light heavyweights, “Bones” might be the best fighter in UFC history.

Jones took the title belt away from Mauricio Rua in March of 2011. Since then, he’s taken down legends and former champs including Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Rashad Evans and Chael Sonnen.

It’s been a very long time since Jones has tasted defeat.  His only loss came in December of 2009 against Matt Hamill, after he was disqualified for illegal blows.  Since then, he’s won nine straight fights and looks to be showing no signs of slowing down.

The former college wrestler has a balanced repertoire that makes him lethal against almost all fighters.   He has some power on the feet and excels in the clinch and on the ground to damage his opponents.

 

Prediction

This might be one of Jones’ toughest fights of his career due to The Mauler’s height, but the reach is still in the champ’s advantage.

If Gustafsson can keep the fight on the feet, he might have a shot, even if it’s still a relatively small one.  If the fight goes to the ground, however, he’s going to be in real trouble.

Jones is simply too strong of a fighter in the Octagon, and he’s going to prove that once again on Saturday night.  Only three of Jones’ wins have come by decision, and that number won’t change as Jones will come away with another big win to retain his title.

Jones wins by third-round submission

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Barao vs. Wineland: Previewing UFC 165’s Co-Main Event

After a foot injury originally forced the fight to be cancelled at UFC 161, Renan Barao will finally take on Eddie Wineland this Saturday at UFC 165’s co-main event for the interim bantamweight title.
This fight has a lot riding on it, including a pote…

After a foot injury originally forced the fight to be cancelled at UFC 161, Renan Barao will finally take on Eddie Wineland this Saturday at UFC 165‘s co-main event for the interim bantamweight title.

This fight has a lot riding on it, including a potential fight in 2014 between the winner and a certain UFC bantamweight champion.  It’s going to be an exciting one, so let’s get everyone up to speed with this preview for Saturday night’s co-main event.

 

Viewing Information

Where: Air Canada Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

When: Saturday, September 21; main card begins at 10 p.m. ET.

How to Watch: Preliminaries on Facebook start at 6:15 p.m. ET.  Undercard begins at 8 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.  Main card is available on pay-per-view starting at 10 p.m.

 

Fighter Previews

Renan Barao

32-1 (1), 5-0 in UFC

The Brazilian fighter has been on a hot streak.  He’s riding a 31-fight unbeaten run during his MMA career and is looking like the top fighter in the weight class.  He has big wins against Urijah Faber, Michael McDonald and Brad Pickett.

While Barao is a solid striker, he is stronger at winning by tapout. He’s a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which he has used to win 14 fights by submission.  He also has impressive takedown defense, avoiding the takedown 95 percent of the time.

The big thing to look for will be if he has fully healed from the foot injury that kept this fight from happening earlier this year.  If it was a significant enough injury that he was unable to fight, it will be interesting to see if he’s truly at 100 percent.

 

Eddie Wineland

20-8-1, 2-2 in UFC

After a rough start to his career in the Octagon with losses in his first two bouts, Wineland has turned things around nicely.  

He earned a shot at Barao because he’s been able to turn it around.  He won both of his fights in 2012, beating Brad Pickett by split decision and Scott Jorgensen by a second-round knockout.

Power is one of the big strengths for Wineland, as 10 of his wins have come by knockout.  He likes to focus as a striker with that power, but he also has a solid ground game that can keep him in the fight if the action drops to the mat.

He may have had a rocky beginning in the UFC, but the man who’s also a firefighter will be looking to make a big statement with a signature win against the interim champ.

 

Prediction

This fight is in Barao‘s favor.  While Wineland has some impressive power behind his strikes, Barao negates that to a degree because he’s never been knocked out in his career.

If this fight stays on the feet, Wineland has a chance, but this is likely going to be decided on the ground.  Thanks to Barao‘s fighting style, he’s going to come away with yet another submission win.

Barao wins by second-round submission.

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