Tag: MMA

UFC 161: Finishing Rates Heading into Henderson vs. Evans

A good finish to a fight is better than almost any decision. A knockout or submission provides a sense of totality and closure to a bout. It is what each MMA fan secretly craves, even if he or she pretends an exciting decision is “just as good.&r…

A good finish to a fight is better than almost any decision. A knockout or submission provides a sense of totality and closure to a bout. It is what each MMA fan secretly craves, even if he or she pretends an exciting decision is “just as good.”

Data collected from FightMatrix.com allows us to look at finishing rates for the participating members of UFC 161, as well as more broad numbers from across the divisions.

(All statistics are compiled by the author via Fightmatrix.com and cross-referenced with Sherdog’s Fight Finder function)

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Anthony Pettis Suffers Meniscus Tear; No Decision on Weight Class for Next Fight

Injuries play a part in any sport, but it was hard to hear the news on Friday that one of the most-anticipated fights of the summer would no longer happen, as, according to Dana White, Anthony Pettis suffered a knee injury in training, forcing him out …

Injuries play a part in any sport, but it was hard to hear the news on Friday that one of the most-anticipated fights of the summer would no longer happen, as, according to Dana White, Anthony Pettis suffered a knee injury in training, forcing him out of his scheduled bout against Jose Aldo at UFC 163.

Pettis has been preparing for the bout for several months and just recently made his first attempt at cutting down to featherweight for the fight with Aldo.

Now, the Milwaukee-based fighter will have to sit on the sidelines while “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung gets the title fight against Aldo instead.

Just after the news was released by the UFC that Pettis was injured, the fighter took to his Twitter page to update his condition and explain what happened to keep him out of the fight. According to Pettis, he suffered a small tear in his meniscus, which likely won’t require any kind of surgery that would put him on the shelf for any long period of time.

Most small tears of the meniscus are treated with rest and staying off of the injured knee for two to three weeks.  

Pettis‘ manager, Mike Roberts, told Bleacher Report on Friday that he’s not expected to be out for any extended period of time, but given that he would have to be off for several weeks from training, there was no way to take the fight August 3 against Aldo.

Pettis was dropping down to featherweight specifically for the chance to face Aldo at UFC 163 in August.  Prior to this fight, he’d spent his entire career at 155 pounds, where he was the WEC lightweight champion. He also picked up a win over current UFC titleholder Benson Henderson.

According to Roberts, the decision about what weight class Pettis‘ next fight will take place remains undecided.  With Aldo now locked up for the UFC 163 fight against Jung, it’s likely that Pettis would have to sit even longer to get a shot at the featherweight belt. 

Meanwhile, the UFC lightweight title will be up for grabs on August 28 when Henderson faces T.J. Grant in the main event of UFC 164 in Milwaukee.  If Henderson wins, it could set up a huge rematch with Pettis before the close of 2013.

For now, however, Pettis remains sitting dejected on the sidelines, dealing with an injured knee while contemplating what could have been.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Jose Aldo Will Face Chan Sung Jung in UFC 163 After Anthony Pettis’ Injury

The fight set to headline UFC 163 on Aug. 3 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil has hit a major snag.Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (16-2) had dropped weight to take on featherweight champion Jose “Scarface” Aldo (22-1) for his title, but a knee injury to Pettis has …

The fight set to headline UFC 163 on Aug. 3 in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil has hit a major snag.

Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (16-2) had dropped weight to take on featherweight champion Jose “Scarface” Aldo (22-1) for his title, but a knee injury to Pettis has forced Dana White to replace him with “The Korean Zombie” Chang Sung Jung (13-3).

While the Korean Zombie is certainly a formidable challenger to Aldo, he doesn’t have the star power that Pettis has.

Showtime is one of the most dynamic strikers in the sport, and he’s extremely underrated on the ground. He is also the last man to defeat lightweight champion Benson Henderson.

Seeing him challenge Aldo—one of the pound-for-pound best—would have been exciting, but it won’t be happening any time soon.

Pettis was the No. 1 contender for Henderson’s lightweight title after destroying “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone at UFC on Fox 6 in January. Despite his standing as No. 1 contender, Pettis told Matt McNulty of The New York Post, he was tired of waiting on a title shot at lightweight.

He had planned to make a temporary move to featherweight before resuming his quest for the lightweight crown. Those plans have obviously been dashed and there is no word on what Pettis’ next move will be.

Jung himself had other plans, but leaped at the opportunity to challenge for Aldo’s title. Per MMA Weekly, The Korean Zombie was set to take on Ricardo Llamas at UFC 162, but this opportunity is clearly more enticing.

UFC 163’s main event could still be entertaining, but Pettis’ removal could be seen as a bit of a letdown.

 

Follow me, because Royce Gracie started me on this MMA path, and now I’m out of control.

 


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Anthony Pettis Injured, Korean Zombie Now Fights Jose Aldo at UFC 163

Get this one: An injury has compromised a major upcoming UFC title fight. Luckily, this time there were plenty of other deserving challengers waiting in the wings. UFC president Dana White tweeted minutes ago that Anthony Pettis injured his knee a…

Get this one: An injury has compromised a major upcoming UFC title fight. Luckily, this time there were plenty of other deserving challengers waiting in the wings. 

UFC president Dana White tweeted minutes ago that Anthony Pettis injured his knee and is out of the headlining UFC 163 bout against featherweight champ Jose Aldo. 

Filling in for him will be Chan-Sung Jung, better known by his nickname, “The Korean Zombie.” 

Pettis, the last reigning WEC lightweight champ, was announced to fight “Scarface” in February, after he texted White indicating that he’d prefer dropping down a weight class instead of waiting for a shot at 155 pounds (via MMA Junkie). 

“Showtime” had his UFC debut spoiled by Clay Guida in June of 2011 but has since rattled off three straight wins against Jeremy Stephens, Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone. 

Coincidentally, Jung recently told BJPenn.com that Pettis “cut in line” and should have to earn a shot at the featherweight title like everyone else. 

The Korean Zombie is a big fan favorite, riding a ton of momentum after earning four “Fight Night” bonuses in three bouts between March 2011 and May 2012. 

Jung earned “Submission of the Night” honors for submitting Leonard Garcia with a twister at UFC Fight Night 24, the first fighter in UFC history to execute the spine/neck crank hold. 

He then earned the “Knockout of the Night” award for knocking out former title challenger Mark Hominick in just seven seconds at UFC 140, before earning both “Fight of the Night” and “Submission of the Night” bonuses against Dustin Poirier at UFC on FUEL 3. 

After 16 minutes of high-paced action, Jung tapped “The Diamond” with a D’arce choke early in the fourth round. 

Jung had been on the shelf for a while following shoulder surgery but was set to return against fellow contender Ricardo Lamas at UFC 162 next month. 

The UFC has not immediately announced if Lamas will still have an opponent for the July 6 pay-per-view event.

Will The Korean Zombie be able to pull off a major upset, or will Aldo add another highlight-reel finish to his impressive resume?

 

John Heinis is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA Editor for eDraft.com and contributes MMA videos to The Young Turks Sports Show. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Patrick Cote and Kyle Noke Set to Coach TUF: The Nations: Canada vs. Australia

The next international version of The Ultimate Fighter will happen later this year when The Nations: Team Canada vs. Team Australia goes down, and now the two coaches who will lead the squads have been named as well. The UFC announced via press release…

The next international version of The Ultimate Fighter will happen later this year when The Nations: Team Canada vs. Team Australia goes down, and now the two coaches who will lead the squads have been named as well.

The UFC announced via press release on Friday that former Ultimate Fighter competitors Patrick Cote (Team Canada) and Kyle Noke (Team Australia) will lead their respective team of welterweights in the competition that will begin in September.

Cote and Noke have both been very vocal in their efforts to land the coaching jobs for their countries, and now they will have a chance to lead a group of 170-pound hopefuls into battle for the chance to earn a contract with the UFC.

Cote told Bleacher Report back in April, right after signing a new four-fight deal with the UFC, that coaching on The Ultimate Fighter would be a great opportunity while also bringing his career full circle. 

Cote was a contestant on the show during the fourth season, where he earned his way back to the UFC as part of the “comeback” season.

“I have the experience as a contestant, and to be there as a coach and to represent my country, I think it would be nice for everybody there. I’m pretty well known in Quebec with the French television broadcasts I’ve been doing,” Cote said in the interview. “I would go there to help those guys. I would not go there for my personal exposure. I want to help and share what I know with those guys. I did my first fight like 10 years ago. So maybe I’m not the best in every aspect, but I’m good in all areas and I think I could help those guys learn.”

 

It didn’t take long for Noke to also chime in with his desire to coach on the show as well. Speaking with MMA‘s Great Debate Radio, Noke expressed his wish to land the coaching job opposite Cote before facing him in the Octagon when the show concluded.

 

Noke always seemed like a natural choice for the Australian team since he was one of the first high profile MMA competitors to come out of the country several years ago.

“It would mean a lot to me. I’d love to have the opportunity to coach the young Australians, and help them pursue their dreams and it would mean the world to me,” Noke stated. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I’d be happy.”

Now, Cote and Noke both get their wish granted and will face off as Ultimate Fighter coaches. The casting will begin in September with a group of welterweights being chosen for the show that will air on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada and FX in Australia. 

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist and all quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Conor McGregor vs. Andy Ogle Head-to-Toe Breakdown

Rising prospects Conor McGregor and Andy Ogle will bring the long and storied Ireland vs. the United Kingdom rivalry stateside when the two featherweights face off in Boston this August.While their nations’ prides will definitely be on the line, the pa…

Rising prospects Conor McGregor and Andy Ogle will bring the long and storied Ireland vs. the United Kingdom rivalry stateside when the two featherweights face off in Boston this August.

While their nations’ prides will definitely be on the line, the pair of up-and-comers will also look to solidify their standings in the 145-pound division when they square off at the UFC’s first event on Fox Sports 1.

In his UFC debut this past April, Irishman McGregor had the MMA world buzzing with his brutal first-round finish of Marcus Brimage at UFC on Fuel 7. “Notorious” will look to continue his rapid rise when he makes his U.S. debut opposite Ogle, who enters this fight following a decision win over Josh Grispi in February, the The Ultimate Fighter alum’s first win with the promotion.

As two of Europe’s finest prepare for their summer showdown at the TD Garden, let’s take a look at how this bout breaks down.

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