Tag: MMA

UFC 155 Predictions: Main-Card Fighters Who Will Win by Knockout or Submission

UFC 155, headlined by Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II, will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this Saturday.The sport of mixed martial arts continues to burgeon, especially with the younger crowd, and with that growth comes extra respect…

UFC 155, headlined by Junior Dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II, will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas this Saturday.

The sport of mixed martial arts continues to burgeon, especially with the younger crowd, and with that growth comes extra respect.

The more people watch, the more they recognize and appreciate the technical aspects of the sport. This isn’t just a bunch of oversized goons kicking the crap out of each other. There’s an art to it, a subtlety.

That being said, nothing gets the crowd going quite like a vicious knockout or match-ending tap-out. That’s just the way it is.

Here are three guys that will set Saturday night on fire with knockouts or submission:

 

Junior Dos Santos

Opponent: Cain Velasquez

Dos Santos vs. Velasquez part deux, the battle for the UFC heavyweight title, will close the night. It’ll also end the same way as part one.

There was nothing junior about the way Dos Santos treated Velasquez in the first fight. With his mythical punching power, he was able to fell his opponent at the 1:04 mark of Round 1

Cain Velasquez has earned his rematch, though. Especially considering the way he dominated Antonio Silva back in March.

Look for Velasquez to try his hardest to get Dos Santos on the floor. He’ll use the best tai moves to get him there, but Dos Santos and his underrated grappling skills should be able to cast him aside.

After that, it becomes a matter of when, not if, Dos Santos drops Cain for the second time. My money is in the early second round.

Dos Santos. TKO. Boom.

 

Joe Lauzon

Opponent: Jim Miller

Lauzon and Miller are two of the scrappiest lightweights in the sport. They’ll fight what’s sure to be one of the more entertaining bouts of the night.

Miller is reeling from a bad loss to Nate Diaz. He’s always all business when he enters the cage, but he could overreach in this one.

A wrestler by trade, he’ll be tempted to bring Lauzon onto the floor. Which is probably a bad idea.

Look for Lauzon to excel on the ground, eventually defeating Miller by submission.

 

 

Chris Leben

Opponent: Derek Brunson

The waxes and wanes of Chris “The Crippler” Leben‘s career are well-documented. Not only aren’t we sure if he’ll win the fight, we’re not sure he’ll even show up.

But the talent disparity here—should Leben fight up to his potential, that is—it too steep to ignore. Brunson has charisma and modicums of skill, but not the kind Leben possesses.

Whenever the MMA world is ready to cast “The Crippler” aside, he seems to rise from the ashes by doing something remarkable.

That trend won’t change here: Leben by TKO.

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UFC 155: Which Fighter Has the Most to Gain?

The phrase “You’re not even supposed to be here!” could apply to one fighter in particular. He’s in a position with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Indeed Derek Brunson really isn’t supposed to be here. He shouldn’t be fighting a guy like Chris…

The phrase “You’re not even supposed to be here!” could apply to one fighter in particular. He’s in a position with nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Indeed Derek Brunson really isn’t supposed to be here. He shouldn’t be fighting a guy like Chris Leben in his Octagon debut. Especially given the fact he’s coming off two-straight losses, including a KO loss to grappling wizard Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza.

It’s not that Brunson doesn’t have the skills. He’s more than up to the task of taking on anyone and had it not been for a contract issue, likely would’ve been competing on The Ultimate Fighter 17. Now Brunson gets the chance to bypass the craziness of a reality show and jump straight into the Octagon.

His UFC debut won’t be an easy one as Leben is a guy who’s been with the UFC since the original Ultimate Fighter. He has dangerous KO power in either hand and is a very good jiu-jitsu player despite only being a blue belt.

That combination presents more than enough of a challenge for Brunson to overcome in his UFC debut. Add in the fact Brunson is stepping in on extremely short notice and it could be a rough night for the former Strikeforce fighter.

Luckily for Brunson his opponent has some issues of his own. Leben‘s mental state is always an x-factor when coming into a fight and his past history with drugs and alcohol are well documented. He’s also coming off an extreme layoff after being out of action for over a year.

Still, Leben is regarded as one of the better middleweights in the UFC and is being universally picked to defeat Brunson. The former Strikeforce fighter is in the true underdog position as nobody expects him to do much of anything against “The Crippler.”

It is for that reason that Brunson has the most to gain at UFC 155. Sure there are guys competing for titles and jostling each other for position in the rankings, but given the fact Brunson is expected to do nothing more than lose to Leben, Brunson could shock the MMA world by defeating “The Crippler.”

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UFC 155 Start Time: When and Where to Watch UFC 155

Saturday night, the UFC returns for their fourth event of December, and boy, is it a doozie!  With heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos taking on former champion Cain Velasquez in the main event, the stakes couldn’t be any higher.Also competing …

Saturday night, the UFC returns for their fourth event of December, and boy, is it a doozie!  With heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos taking on former champion Cain Velasquez in the main event, the stakes couldn’t be any higher.

Also competing on the card are popular notables Chris Leben, Joe Lauzon and surging contenders like Tim Boetsch and Alan Belcher who are looking to lay claim on a middleweight title shot.

Unfortunately, if you don’t know how to tune in to the event, you’ll be unable to catch the action.

Never fear! That’s what we are here for.

Facebook Prelims

Once again, the UFC will return to its Facebook fan page to kick off an event. Featuring three bouts full of notables, UFC 155 might just be the best social networking offering to date. 

Tune in to the official UFC Facebook page at 6:30 p.m. EST to see the following fights:

  • Todd Duffee vs. Phil de Fries
  • Leonard Garcia vs. Max Holloway
  • John Moraga vs. Chris Cariaso

 

FX Prelims

The UFC has been known for delivering excellent fights for free, and the FX portion of UFC 155 is no exception. With surging contenders and big-named knockout artists in competition, the FX portion of the card is can’t-miss action.

Tune in to FX at 8 p.m. EST to see the following fights:

  • Melvin Guillard vs. Jamie Varner
  • Brad Pickett vs. Eddie Wineland
  • Erik Perez vs. Byron Bloodworth
  • Michael Johnson vs. Myles Jury 

 

Pay-Per-View

The PPV madness begins at 10 p.m. EST with five main card fights that are designed to generate in-cage excitement.

Fights include:

  • Junior dos Santos vs. Cain Velasquez II
  • Jim Miller vs. Joe Lauzon
  • Tim Boetsch vs. Costa Philippou
  • Yushin Okami vs. Alan Belcher II
  • Chris Leben vs. Derek Brunson

There are many options for viewing the fights. The PPV is available from major cable and satellite providers, as well as on UFC.com.

Some less conventional viewing methods include watching on the UFC’s Facebook page through Facebook Credits or ordering through the UFC app on Xbox Live. 

Looking for a less costly option? Many sports bars like Buffalo Wild Wings, Hooters or Applebee’s host the fights for their customers. For the price of a quesadilla appetizer and a beer, you get to watch a $54.99 PPV.

 

Attending the event live?

According to the arena website, Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena doors open at 2:45 p.m. local time, and the PPV main card kicks off at 7 p.m.

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UFC 155 Fight Card: Power Ranking the Main Card Fighters

With UFC 155 but a day away, anticipation surrounding the event is at its zenith. The event is highlighted by a heavyweight title fight between Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, and it enjoys a solid supporting cast of bouts from its Facebook …

With UFC 155 but a day away, anticipation surrounding the event is at its zenith. 

The event is highlighted by a heavyweight title fight between Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, and it enjoys a solid supporting cast of bouts from its Facebook prelims to the main event lead-in.

Here, we’ll take a look at the 10 fighters who will populate the UFC 155 main card, and assign them a ranking based on their recent performances and past accomplishments. 

Begin Slideshow

Jon Anik Fills in for an Ill Mike Goldberg for UFC 155 Announcing Duties

Late Thursday night, Bleacher Report learned from UFC officials that Jon Anik would be stepping up and filling in for Mike Goldberg for the UFC 155 broadcast. Details were spotty at the time but it was known that it was a last minute decision. Fri…

Late Thursday night, Bleacher Report learned from UFC officials that Jon Anik would be stepping up and filling in for Mike Goldberg for the UFC 155 broadcast. Details were spotty at the time but it was known that it was a last minute decision. 

Friday afternoon, it was confirmed to MMAJunkie.com that Goldberg would be sidelined due to illness. 

Goldberg has long been a staple for UFC broadcasts along side his partner Joe Rogan. He’s the Voice of the UFC and has been a member of the promotion’s announcement team since 1997. 

Goldberg’s role on UFC broadcasts has been two-fold. He’s served as the play-by-play announcer as well as mentioning the various upcoming UFC events. 

Anik has been a member of the UFC’s “B-Team”, working the Fuel TV and FX cards with former-UFC fighter, Kenny Florian. Most praised the chemistry that he shared with his partner, building a rapport in a short period of time. 

Besides his role with Florian, Anik also is the host of “The Ultimate Insider” on Fuel TV which airs every Tuesday evening following “UFC Tonight”. 

It will be interesting to see how Anik handles commentary with Rogan as the two haven’t worked together in the past. 

We wish Mike Goldberg a speedy recovery. 

***Update***

According to a tweet from John Morgan, as per UFC President Dana White, Mike Goldberg is not ill but will be “taking time off” with no return date set. 

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UFC 155: Which Fighter Has the Most to Lose?

UFC 155 is only a matter of hours away and while the anticipation builds for fans, the fighters will likely find a night of restless sleep ahead of them. One fighter in particular has a lot on the line and could see his UFC future become very complicat…

UFC 155 is only a matter of hours away and while the anticipation builds for fans, the fighters will likely find a night of restless sleep ahead of them. One fighter in particular has a lot on the line and could see his UFC future become very complicated if he’s not victorious.

Cain Velasquez will be challenging for the UFC heavyweight title in UFC 155’s main event. He faces a familiar foe in champion Junior dos Santos. The Brazilian has already defeated Velasquez once: a 64-second KO in the first ever UFC event on Fox television.

Although Velasquez claimed a knee injury forced him and his coaches to use a new strategy, it was a clear victory for JDS. A convincing victory for dos Santos could be in the cards for UFC 155’s finale.

If Velasquez loses it likely won’t be via controversial decision or because someone “laid and prayed” on him all night. No, as with the majority of heavyweight bouts, the end will come swiftly and violently.

Should Velasquez lose twice to dos Santos it would put the former champion at a crossroad junction in his career. That would make it two convincing defeats at the hands of the champion and so long as dos Santos has the belt, the UFC would be hard pressed to put together a rubber match.

Fans already believe Velasquez could make 205 pounds due to not being a chiseled freak like some of his heavyweight counterparts but I don’t believe that’s an option for him. Velasquez has always been a heavyweight and, despite not having a 12-pack, is a very solid 230-240 pounds.

Moving to light heavyweight would also eliminate Velasquez’s greatest advantage. Although Velasquez possesses great wrestling and a solid kickboxing game, it is his conditioning that allows the AKA fighter to push a relentless pace. It’s a pace very few heavyweights can keep up with but wouldn’t be an issue for the much smaller light heavyweights.

Velasquez needs to win this fight or at the very least make it a close defeat to stay relevant in heavyweight division. Matchups make fights and Velasquez is a terrible matchup for anyone in the division outside of JDS. The champion has great takedown defense and perhaps hits the hardest of any UFC fighter in history.

Without something to cling to like a “I just got caught” or “I was winning until..” type line, Velasquez could see his UFC title dreams go down the drain with a JDS knockout.

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