Tag: MMA

UFC on FX 8 Fight Card: Ronaldo Souza vs. Costa Philippou Early Prediction

After finishing his Strikeforce career with a win over UFC veteran Ed Herman, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has an opponent set for his Octagon debut.On May 18, Souza will meet Costa Philippou in a middleweight matchup that could put the winner near the front…

After finishing his Strikeforce career with a win over UFC veteran Ed Herman, Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza has an opponent set for his Octagon debut.

On May 18, Souza will meet Costa Philippou in a middleweight matchup that could put the winner near the front of the line for a shot at the UFC’s 185-pound title. The bout will take place in Brazil at an event expected to be titled UFC on FX 8 (via Tatame.com, h/t MMAFighting.com).

Souza lost only once in his three years with Strikeforce, and that defeat came in a narrow decision against Luke Rockhold, who stole the Strikeforce middleweight belt away from “Jacare” with that win.

Meanwhile, Philippou has gone on a run of five straight wins since losing to Nick Catone in his first UFC appearance.

Against a world-class grappler like Souza, it will be important for Philippou to keep this fight standing. Despite being a former pro boxer, Philippou has shown some solid takedown defense, stopping 83 percent of his opponents’ attempts to take him to the ground.

However, Philippou has not faced an opponent with half the ground game possessed by Souza, a former jiu-jitsu world champion who also holds a black belt in judo. 

If Tim Boetsch and Nick Catone could take Philippou down, then Souza should have little problem in doing the same, provided he can get his hands on the Serra-Longo Fight Team member.

Souza began his MMA career as a one-dimensional grappler, but he’s grown as a striker and has only been knocked out once in his career. It should also be noted that Souza‘s lone stoppage defeat came via a Gegard Mousasi upkick and not a typical boxing-style strike like those that will be thrown at him by Philippou.

Though he probably still doesn’t have the skill to beat Philippou in a stand-up brawl, Souza is good enough on his feet to evade and lock up with his Cyprus-born opponent. And once he does, this fight will go to the ground one way or another.

While Philippou has not been submitted, he also hasn’t spent much time on the ground, and he certainly hasn’t rolled with anyone like Souza.

“Jacare” is on a whole other level than most MMA fighters on the ground. As long as he avoids an early flash knockout, which he should, Souza will find a way to catch Philippou on the ground and force him to tap.

After he does, Souza will be right up there with the top contenders in the middleweight division, and a rematch with Luke Rockhold is still a bout that intrigues many who watched that September 2011 title fight between the former Strikeforce champions.

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Gegard Mousasi Wants Title Shot or Henderson/Machida Winner Next

There was a lot of talk earlier this week about title shots when UFC President Dana White revealed that with a win at UFC on Fuel 9, Alexander Gustafsson would land as the next man in line to face Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight gold. His oppon…

There was a lot of talk earlier this week about title shots when UFC President Dana White revealed that with a win at UFC on Fuel 9, Alexander Gustafsson would land as the next man in line to face Jon Jones for the UFC light heavyweight gold.

His opponent, former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, didn’t receive the same offer from White during his title fight talk.

The Dutch striker wasn’t upset to hear that Gustafsson may get a title shot with a win, but the same courtesy would not be extended to him.  Mousasi knows he still has to earn his way in the UFC, but he plans on doing just that starting with Alexander Gustafsson on April 6 in Sweden.

“I think it’s perfectly normal cause he’s been fighting a long time in the UFC, so of course he’s a lot closer to the title shot,” Mousasi said about Gustafsson when speaking to Bleacher Report on Friday.   “If after this fight if I win, I would like to fight the next contender for a title run.”

Mousasi isn’t giving up on his title hopes after this fight because performance pays off and if he can dispatch with Gustafsson in impressive fashion there’s no telling what could come next.  His mission is to put Gustafsson away in such a manner that UFC President Dana White will have no other choice but to put his name into contention.

“I’m looking at this as a way to the title,”  Mousasi said.  “First it’s Gustafsson, I need to deal with that and after that the next No. 1 contender and then if I win that one then I feel like I deserve it.  That’s up to the UFC because it depends on how I perform, and how I win.  There’s a lot of things that go into getting a title shot.”

If a title shot doesn’t greet Mousasi following a win in April, he’s happy to take another fight and he’s targeting a solid list of contenders.  The names at the top of the list include UFC 157 co-main event fighters Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida.

Henderson and Machida were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, respectively with the latest UFC fighter rankings, and Mousasi knows beating the winner of that fight would all but assure him a shot at the gold.

“I think Machida and Henderson are the No. 1 guys after this, and then you have Gustafsson.  Maybe to see who’s next it’s (best for me) to fight Machida or Dan Henderson,” Mousasi said.

The title picture in the light heavyweight division won’t necessarily become clear until after Henderson and Machida square off and Gustafsson battles Mousasi.  Then at that point, there may be more definition of who stands in line next to fight for the 205-pound belt.

All Mousasi knows for sure is that if his name isn’t on a bout agreement to face the champion, he wants the next closest person, whoever that may be. 

“I think if I beat (Gustafsson) and then another fight then I deserve to fight for the title.  After this fight, maybe the winner of (Lyoto) Machida/Dan Henderson, you have (Antonio Rogerio) Nogueira, (Glover) Teixiera, they’re doing well.  So go against one of those guys to determine who is the next No. 1 guy,” said Mousasi.   “If I win that one then I think I deserve a title shot, but first this fight.”

One part of his own destiny that Mousasi wants to control this year is how often he fights.  After long layoffs due to injury and inactivity as part of the Strikeforce roster, Mousasi plans to stay very busy in 2013, and when the year is over he wants to either have a title shot signed or already be wearing the belt.

“I’m making a run for the title so it’s very important to win and hopefully the next fight will come soon,”  Mousasi said.   “After the title fight maybe I’ll fight a little less, but my goal this year is to fight as much as possible.”

Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 157: Keys to Victory for Liz Carmouche vs. Ronda Rousey

Liz Carmouche will challenge Ronda Rousey for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship at UFC 157. It will not only be the first female fight under the UFC banner, but the main event of a highly anticipated card.How to defeat Rousey is still a mystery…

Liz Carmouche will challenge Ronda Rousey for the UFC women’s bantamweight championship at UFC 157. It will not only be the first female fight under the UFC banner, but the main event of a highly anticipated card.

How to defeat Rousey is still a mystery. Her striking has not been put to the test in the cage, and she has not been pushed past the first round. Her dominance has begun to give her an aura that we have not seen since Fedor Emelianenko.

The Girl-Rilla is no stranger to coming in as a large underdog, though. In 2011, she accepted a fight on short notice with then-Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen, and nearly exited Columbus, Ohio as the champion.

With that being said, Rousey will be a whole different ballgame.

Carmouche will try to be the first to shatter the perception of invincibility. Everyone will be watching.

Here are five keys to victory for the Girl-Rilla.

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UFC News: Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza vs. Costa Philippou Set for UFC on FX 8

UFC on FX 8 has given another former Strikeforce middleweight champion a key matchup at 185 pounds. Just days after Luke Rockhold, the last reigning Strikeforce champ at 185 pounds, was announced to headline the card against Vitor Belfort, the UFC…

UFC on FX 8 has given another former Strikeforce middleweight champion a key matchup at 185 pounds. 

Just days after Luke Rockhold, the last reigning Strikeforce champ at 185 pounds, was announced to headline the card against Vitor Belfort, the UFC has now announced Ronaldo Souza versus Costa Philippou for the May 18 event. 

MMA Fighting was the first media outlet to report the fight. 

Philippou enters the matchup on the strength of a five-fight win streak, most recently pulling off a big upset over Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch at UFC 155 in December, catapulting him inside the division’s top 10. 

On the other hand, Souza has won seven of his past eight fights, with his only loss being a close decision against Rockhold back in Sept. 2011. 

While this matchup, hosted at the Arena Jaragua in Santa Catarina, Brazil, marks his Octagon debut, “Jacare” easily dispatched of UFC veteran Ed Herman at the last Strikeforce event in January. 

Souza easily controlled the fight on the ground before locking up a brutal kimura from side control, earning the first-round submission. 

A two-time gold medalist at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling Championships, Souza will no doubt try to get this fight to the ground and add to his 13 submission victories. 

Philippou provides an interesting test for the highly regarded Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, as the Serra-Longo Fight Team product is known for his precise boxing and exceptional takedown defense. 

The winner of this fight will likely be inside the UFC’s middleweight top five and could need to have their hand raised just one more time before getting a showdown with divisional kingpin Anderson Silva.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 157: Are the UFC’s Expectations for Ronda Rousey Too High?

As the hype surrounding Ronda Rousey’s Octagon debut at UFC 157 continues to intensify, it’s hard not to wonder whether Dana White and company are harbouring unrealistic expectations for the former Olympian. The UFC president’s fascin…

As the hype surrounding Ronda Rousey’s Octagon debut at UFC 157 continues to intensify, it’s hard not to wonder whether Dana White and company are harbouring unrealistic expectations for the former Olympian.

The UFC president’s fascination with all things Rousey-related has been well-documented over the past several months.

From calling her “a dude trapped inside this beautiful body” (MMAFighting.com) to claiming that the UFC’s interest in women’s MMA essentially begins and ends with Ronda Rousey, it’s safe to say that White is infatuated with his new star.

In fairness, he has good reason to be enthusiastic about Rousey’s future. The UFC president is not wrong when he says that “nobody in the history of this sport has brought attention to the sport like Ronda Rousey” (FightHubTV.com).

Unfortunately, that attention doesn’t necessarily translate into ticket sales and pay-per-view buys.

As I pointed out in a previous article, viewing figures for Ronda Rousey’s appearances on Showtime peaked at around 676,000—when she faced Sarah Kaufman. While that’s a respectable number, it falls far short of the 856,000 viewers who tuned in to see Gina Carano take on Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.

Dave Meltzer has suggested that anything above 250,000 pay-per-view buys should be considered a success for Ronda’s UFC debut.

For those who don’t know, that number is significantly below average for a UFC pay-per-view. It’s almost unheard of for a world champion who has pierced the mainstream consciousness.

In truth, there is nothing wrong with Rousey pulling in 250,000-300,000 buys for her debut, particularly given the modest profile of UFC 157 opponent Liz Carmouche. However, the time and money that the UFC has invested in promoting their new star leads me to believe that there is a much loftier goal in mind.

The Zuffa brass may have misjudged Ronda Rousey’s current drawing power. After all, it wouldn’t be the first time their projections have missed the mark.

Does everyone remember UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II? It was marketed as the biggest MMA fight of all time and slated to break all sorts of records—at least according to the UFC, if no one else. Unfortunately, the event fell approximately 700,000 pay-per-view buys short of the previous record set by UFC 100.

Personally, I hope my present skepticism becomes a future punchline and Rousey develops into a huge money-making star. I am deeply invested in the future of WMMA, so this is certainly one of those times when I would be ecstatic to be proved wrong.

Only time will tell if Ronda Rousey has the potential to draw GSP-like numbers. For now, I can’t help but remain skeptical.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC on Fuel 7: Bleacher Report MMA Main Card Staff Predictions

The UFC is back in jolly old England, where Wembley Arena plays host to the first-ever championship fight on Fuel TV. Sure, Renan “Barao” Pedago is just the interim bantamweight champ, but who are we to quibble? A title fight is a title fight.Standing …

The UFC is back in jolly old England, where Wembley Arena plays host to the first-ever championship fight on Fuel TV. Sure, Renan “Barao” Pedago is just the interim bantamweight champ, but who are we to quibble? A title fight is a title fight.

Standing across the cage from the young Brazilian star, who won his title belt against fading pioneer Urijah Faber, is 22-year-old Michael McDonald.

A teenage prodigy who started his professional career before he even graduated high school, McDonald has a powerful right hand he will use to try to put Barao to sleep.

But the champion trains daily with featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo. He’s been through the fire many times and will be hard to impress.

Although big names are scarce, the undercard is packed with young European prospects and fights that, if our experts are any judge, are too close to call. The picks are all over the map here, which usually indicates a good job of competitive matchmaking.

Click on to see our picks. Disagree? Shout at us in the comments.

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