Tag: MMA

UFC 152: Marcus Brimage Is Slowly Getting Used to Being the Underdog and Hated

The definition of an underdog is a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest. That is the role that UFC featherweight Marcus Brimage has dealt with his whole career.
Brimage looks to defy the odds again as he squa…

The definition of an underdog is a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest. That is the role that UFC featherweight Marcus Brimage has dealt with his whole career.

Brimage looks to defy the odds again as he squares off against Jimy Hettes tonight to kick off the FX portion of UFC 152, which starts at 8 p.m. ET.

The man known as “The Bama Beast” has been overcoming the odds to succeed his entire life and knows what he has to do to buck that stigma.

“I played football and played nose guard in high school,” Brimage told Bleacher Report. “I had 107 tackles my senior year. “Being an underdog is nothing new to me. I’m always underrated. My coaches tell me that means I’m moving up the food chain since I’m always the underdog. I don’t want to be the guy whose supposed to win. That means I’m not advanced and I’m not moving up. I’m always going to be the underdog until I’m the champion.”

Confidence is something Brimage was lacking due to what happened in The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 and being the first guy to lose in that season. Now in the UFC and with a victory over Maximo Blanco at UFC 145, in a fight people thought Blanco would easily win, now the confidence is back in Brimage.

“In The Ultimate Fighter, I was the first person to fight and I lost first,” Brimage stated. “It was just about being more confident because now I’m in the UFC. The first time (at UFC 145) I was like, “do I belong here?”

 

“The victory over Blanco felt orgasmic. It was like, “ahh in your face.”

“If I had the time, I would have liked to find everyone that said that (having no chance to win) and would have been like, “haha” and just leave.

“I’m slowly getting used to being the underdog. I’m slowly getting used to the hate. It’s the same scenario with this fight (against Hettes) as well.”

His opponent tonight, the 10-0 Jimy Hettes, looked impressive in his debut at UFC 141 as he defeated Nam Phan via unanimous decision. Brimage was impressed with Hettes’ performance and is expecting a great fight.

“I think his judo is pretty cool with the way he was tossing Nam Phan,” Brimage stated. “He seems like the polar opposite of me. He’s very aggressive, always putting the pressure on. He does the pressure with his wrestling and I put the pressure on with my striking. It’s going to be a great clash.”

You can follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

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Jones vs. Belfort: What a Win Means for Jon Jones

UFC 152’s main event in Toronto will see light heavyweight king Jon Jones take on the legendary Vitor Belfort. It is a fight with big implications, especially for Jones.What would a win for Jones mean, though?First off, Jones is taking on a regular mid…

UFC 152‘s main event in Toronto will see light heavyweight king Jon Jones take on the legendary Vitor Belfort. It is a fight with big implications, especially for Jones.

What would a win for Jones mean, though?

First off, Jones is taking on a regular middleweight in Belfort. This means that he is going to be the larger man and that this fight doesn’t do a whole lot for his legacy.

What it does do for his legacy is that he would be beating his fifth former champion in a row. Jones owns victories over Mauricio Rua, Quinton Jackson, Lyoto Machida and Rashad Evans, all of whom have owned the 205-pound crown.

Belfort is a former champion at light heavyweight. Though it is not his regular weight class, it cannot be disputed how dangerous he is.

Jones has never faced a guy with the hand speed that Belfort possesses. If he smells blood, he will throw punches in bunches to try to end Jones’ night.

So, in my opinion, a win over Belfort would be a huge step forward in Jones’ career. Say what you want about this fight, but the fact of the matter is that Belfort is as dangerous as anybody Jones has faced.

If Jones gets past Belfort, a fight against Dan Henderson still needs to be explored. Many fans were looking forward to that fight but were denied the chance to see it.

Jones needs to win first, though.

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UFC 152 Weigh-In Video: Highlights from the Jones vs. Belfort Weigh-In

The UFC 152 weigh-ins took place on Friday, for the most part taking place without incident.There were some intense stare downs, but nothing really got physical. The best stare down was probably the one between Michael Bisping and Brian Stann. After th…

The UFC 152 weigh-ins took place on Friday, for the most part taking place without incident.

There were some intense stare downs, but nothing really got physical. The best stare down was probably the one between Michael Bisping and Brian Stann. After the face-to-face confrontation, the two played up to the crowd.

The only discrepancy came in the form of Charles Oliveira, who appeared to miss the mark on his weigh-in attempt. Burt Watson and Dana White, however, said all was okay and the fight will go on as scheduled. 

If stare downs are the sign of things to come, fans should be excited for UFC 152.

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UFC 152 Predictions: How Jon Jones Will Make Quick Work of Vitor Belfort

Jon Jones and Vitor Belfort will step into the octagon in the UFC light-heavyweight championship bout. Virtually everyone except half of Belfort’s extended family are picking Jones to win, so I chose to take a different approach. I am going t…

Jon Jones and Vitor Belfort will step into the octagon in the UFC light-heavyweight championship bout. Virtually everyone except half of Belfort‘s extended family are picking Jones to win, so I chose to take a different approach. 

I am going to outline how and at what point in the bout Jones will finish off Belfort. I’ll add in a bit of analysis to make it official and then challenge the readers to predict Jones’ finishing move and time.

Of course, anyone that would like to take Belfort or a full-time bout will get bonus points if they are right.

My biggest issue with The Phenom is some fans still think he exists. One hears references to the “old” Belfort or which Vitor is going to show for his fights.

The answer is pretty basic. There is only one Belfort, and it isn’t The Phenom. It isn’t the Belfort of old.

It is simply the same old Belfort. 

He’s still a great puncher, but the lighting-fast attacks aren’t enough to overcame his lack of diversity. He doesn’t have the arsenal needed to counter an elite fighter, and each time he attacks Jones he will get corralled, taken down and occasionally contorted. 

It will be interesting to see how Jones approaches this fight. He may be content with evading Belfort early and taking a few well-timed shots at the former champion. His reach advantage will offset Belfort‘s speed.

Belfort will also struggle to defend Jones’ kicks. Bones will land several punishing blows in the first round.

As tempted as I am to predict a win via submission, I don’t see Jones settling for such a subtle end to the fight. He will work in several throws and a barrage of punches and kicks.

I see the bout ending 65 seconds into Round 2 via TKO. The deciding blow will be a fierce elbow after Belfort fails to land an attack. 

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UFC 152 Card: Preview and Predictions for Biggest Matchups

Jon Jones will defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 152. The card features several other intriguing fights which gives Saturday night’s pay-per-view a chance to become one of the year’s best. Here’s a br…

Jon Jones will defend his UFC light heavyweight title against Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 152. The card features several other intriguing fights which gives Saturday night’s pay-per-view a chance to become one of the year’s best.

Here’s a breakdown for three of the best matchups of UFC 152 along with a prediction for how each of them will turn out. After having to scrap the last event, it’s important for UFC to bounce back with a top-notch show. For a look at the complete card, click here.

 

Jon Jones vs. Vitor Belfort

Jones really hasn’t been challenged since winning the title from Maurício Rua early last year. He’s defended the belt three times, and only one went the distance. Even in that fight against Rashad Evans, Jones was in control the whole time.

So it’s clear Belfort faces at tough challenge to say the least. He has to find a way to neutralize Jones’ combination of length and power, which has made his virtually unstoppable throughout his career. But the savvy veteran should have a couple tricks ready.

It’s an important fight for Jones given his decision to decline a Chael Sonnen matchup and the negative reaction the choice received. He should be able to control the pace once again en route to another win.

Prediction: Jon Jones

 

Joseph Benavidez vs. Demetrious Johnson

The winner will leave UFC 152 as the first flyweight champion, so this fight holds a special level of importance for both guys. Benavidez knocked off Yasuhiro Urushitani in the tournament semifinals while Johnson beat Ian McCall in a rematch after a draw.

Benavidez has been in tremendous form ever since joining UFC. He’s won all three of his fights, showing off plenty of versatility, which should allow him to adapt to Johnson’s wrestling style. It’s a nice advantage to have.

It will be interesting to see how Johnson responds to the situation. He has a boatload of potential, but has been inconsistent at times during the early portion of his career. If he doesn’t allow the pressure to impact him, it will be a close battle.

Prediction: Joseph Benavidez

 

Michael Bisping vs. Brian Stann

Bisping missed out on a chance to fight for the middleweight title by losing to Sonnen in his last fight. So now he has to defeat a tricky opponent in Stann in order to remain in the conversation for a chance to face Anderson Silva down the line.

Even though Bisping has more name recognition, Stann is a dangerous fighter. He produced one of the best performances of his career against Alessio Sakara the last time out and will look to build off that momentum on Saturday night.

This should be another fight that’s pretty close throughout. Bisping‘s experience should give him a minor edge, but Stann is hungry for his first marquee victory. Don’t be surprised if these guys steal the show.

Prediction: Michael Bisping

 

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UFC 152: Why Jon Jones Will Silence the Critics with Win over Vitor Belfort

Jon Jones is the most hated man in the UFC heading into his fight against Vitor Belfort in UFC 152 after the stunt he pulled in what was supposed to be UFC 151.Jones was scheduled to fight Dan Henderson at UFC 151, but after Henderson pulled out of the…

Jon Jones is the most hated man in the UFC heading into his fight against Vitor Belfort in UFC 152 after the stunt he pulled in what was supposed to be UFC 151.

Jones was scheduled to fight Dan Henderson at UFC 151, but after Henderson pulled out of the fight, Jones unexpectedly refused to fight Chael Sonnen, Henderson’s replacement, resulting in a war of words between Jones and UFC president Dana White.

While White has publicly stated he doesn’t “hate” Jones, it’s obvious he’s upset and has a strong disliking for the man who ruined what was a highly anticipated fight.

Jones’ cancellation propelled him into a fight with Belfort in Toronto, where he will have an opportunity to regain popularity among the MMA community.

According to ESPN’s Frank McNeil, Jones believes winning this fight is the first step to moving past the UFC 151 debacle.

“I’m looking forward to putting on a great fight at UFC 152 and putting this past us. I’ve trained very hard for this Vitor Belfort fight, and I do believe that, with a good performance, I can help put this behind me.” 

The 25-year-old fighter has accomplished a lot more in the octagon than he has relinquished outside of it, which is why his win against Belfort will silence his critics and allow him to continue his climb to the top of the UFC.

Lost in the shuffle of the cancellation of UFC 151 and the battle between Jones and White is the fight itself, in which Jones is believed to be a heavy favorite.

Belfort is a blitzkrieg fighter, which isn’t going to work out in his favor, as Jones likes to remain patient and strike at the right time.

Belfort is known for an excellent combination of power and speed, but after gaining weight for this fight, the odds are that he’s not going too look fast to Jones, whose last opponent was Rashad Evans.

A win for Jones on Saturday night should silence his critics and put the UFC 151 mess behind him.

Expect Jones to be patient but take advantage of any opening Belfort gives him. I’m guessing that this one goes three rounds at the most, but Jones will come out victorious and begin to clear his name among the UFC community.

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