Tag: MMA

Should Kazushi Sakuraba Make a Final Run in the UFC?

Most fighters are men of dreams, willing to roll the dice and take their chances, hopeful that their chin and heart will ultimately take them to the top. They make sacrifices we will never know about, all toward the end of winning the next fight, and t…

Most fighters are men of dreams, willing to roll the dice and take their chances, hopeful that their chin and heart will ultimately take them to the top.

They make sacrifices we will never know about, all toward the end of winning the next fight, and the fight after, and so on.

When they talk about themselves, they try to project optimism because they are always swimming the seas of promotion.

Of course, Kazushi Sakuraba is not like everyone else. 

When American audiences got their first real look at Sakuraba, it was during his appearance at UFC: Ultimate Japan. His attitude was humble and seemed to say: “you win some, and you lose some.”

Of course, on that night he went on to become the first-ever Japanese fighter to win a UFC tournament, and in the heavyweight division no less.

That started what would turn out to be a stunning career for Sakuraba, at least while he was still in his prime, fighting opponents of similar size.

But much has changed since he was atop the MMA world. He’s taken some savage beatings in the ring and is currently sitting atop a four-fight losing skid.

Still, if he has a mind to continue fighting, why not fight in the UFC?

Some might laugh at the idea, but truth be told, it is not that far out of the realm of possibility.

So, what advantages would Sakuraba have fighting in the UFC as opposed to other organizations?

Read on and find out.

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UFC on Fuel TV 2 Results: The Real Winners and Losers

UFC on Fuel TV 2 is in the books. There were some very important matchups on the televised portion of the card that had divisional importance. Because of the outcomes, there will be some very interesting fights to be made in the future. Alexander …

UFC on Fuel TV 2 is in the books. There were some very important matchups on the televised portion of the card that had divisional importance. Because of the outcomes, there will be some very interesting fights to be made in the future. 

Alexander Gustafsson impressed, as he systematically picked Thiago Silva apart for three rounds to win a unanimous decision. There was some hinting during the broadcast that he could be the next man to face Jon Jones, but those thoughts are way too premature. 

The biggest surprise of the card was Siyar Bahadurzada putting Paulo Thiago to sleep with a right hand. It was as vicious a knockout as we’ve seen in the UFC, and Baha is the current front-runner for Knockout of the Year honors.

There were some big winners and even bigger losers Saturday night, so find out who impressed and who didn’t in the UFC’s first show in Sweden. 

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UFC on Fuel TV 2 Results: Pickett & Page Show Why You Must Watch Lighter Weights

Fifty thousand dollars. That’s the reward the bantamweights Brad Pickett and Damacio Page earned for their electrifying opening bout of the UFC on Fuel TV 2 broadcast. The “Fight of the Night” performance is nothing unexpected for fans who followed the…

Fifty thousand dollars. That’s the reward the bantamweights Brad Pickett and Damacio Page earned for their electrifying opening bout of the UFC on Fuel TV 2 broadcast.

The “Fight of the Night” performance is nothing unexpected for fans who followed the now-defunct WEC. Although it’s been over a year since the promotion was absorbed by its big brother, its former fighters still fly under the radar to a large majority of the UFC’s viewing audience.

The back-and-forth battle that Pickett and Page engaged in was a testament to how special the lighter weight classes truly are.

In addition to the typical level of skill that fighters in the UFC exhibit, the pace that flyweights, bantamweights and featherweights can maintain is amazing. You’d be hard-pressed to find fighters in any of the aforementioned divisions who struggle with cardio issues.

Take the opening round, where the two fighters managed to score three takedowns—returning to the feet each time—inside of the first two minutes. And that was just the grappling.

In the second frame, Pickett rocked Page with a left hook and sent him crashing to the mat. However, Page survived Pickett’s onslaught and brought the fight back to the feet.

Ultimately, Pickett would force Page to give up his back and submit him, but the nine minutes that the fighters spent in the cage were undoubtedly the most exciting of the event.

And that’s just one fight.

Every time lighter weight fighters step into the Octagon, you can expect some of the most exciting action of the night.

 

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.

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Brian Stann After UFC on Fuel TV 2: 5 Fights to Vault Him to the Next Level

UFC on Fuel TV 2 is now in the books.”All-American” Brian Stann turned in one of the most impressive performances of the evening— knocking out Alessio Sakara in the first round.Stann turned in the type of performance that we have grown accustomed…

UFC on Fuel TV 2 is now in the books.

“All-American” Brian Stann turned in one of the most impressive performances of the evening— knocking out Alessio Sakara in the first round.

Stann turned in the type of performance that we have grown accustomed to seeing from the former Marine. Stann took the center of the octagon early and looked to strike with the former professional boxer and displayed impressive power in earning the finish.

With the win, Stann takes the first step in regaining the momentum he had before falling to Chael Sonnen at UFC 136.

With yet another win over a mid-tier middleweight, Stann will once again be looking to step up in competition and become a contender in the division. 

Here are some possibilities for Stann’s next fight.

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UFC on Fuel 2: 6 Fights to Make After Gustafsson vs. Silva

The UFC’s debut in Sweden flew under the radar. That’s understandable, given that next Saturday night will see the long-awaited grudge match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.The card also aired on Fuel TV—which still doesn’t have much in the wa…

The UFC’s debut in Sweden flew under the radar. That’s understandable, given that next Saturday night will see the long-awaited grudge match between Jon Jones and Rashad Evans.

The card also aired on Fuel TV—which still doesn’t have much in the way of market penetration—making it a difficult card for the majority of UFC fans around the world to see live.

But even with all of that working against it, UFC on Fuel 2 still delivered the kind of action fights that mixed martial arts fans around the world crave. There were plenty of submissions, one crazy knockout and the continued ascension of one of the UFC’s best young prospects.

With the card behind us, let’s take a moment to look at what’s next for the winners of the six main card fights.

 

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Mauricio Rua

It would be easy to rush Gustafsson into the title picture immediately. He’s long been considered one of the hottest prospects in the UFC, and his performances after the loss to Phil Davis—the sole black mark on his record—have been excellent. 

It’s also quite easy to compare him to Jones, given the similarities in their height, reach and unorthodox fighting styles.

But the truth is that Gustafsson just isn’t ready—not yet, anyway. He’s getting close, but he needs one more win against top competition. It’s time to move the Swede up into the rarified air of the light heavyweight division and match him with a top-ranked fighter with name value.

Mauricio “Shogun” Rua fulfills both of those requirements. Sure, he’s coming off the loss to Dan Henderson, but that was a close enough fight that Rua didn’t tumble down the rankings. 

We know Dan Henderson is facing the winner of next week’s Jones vs. Evans bout. Line up Gustafsson vs. Rua for a featured bout on pay-per-view late in the summer months, with the winner getting a potential title shot late in 2012.

 

Brian Stann vs. Michael Bisping

I realize Bisping is already booked with Tim Boetsch, but for the purposes of this article, I’m just going to assume he’ll win that fight.

Stann vs. Bisping is an intriguing fight on many levels. Neither guy is strong in the wrestling department, which means you’ll likely end up with a good striking battle. 

There’s a built-in storyline here, too. Stann has the obvious military background, but Bisping’s family has a deep connection with the military as well. The USA vs. England aspect is easy to sell.

There’s also the fact that Stann—with his good looks, extreme charm and American hero story line—is one of the most marketable fighters in the UFC. And Bisping, for better or worse, is one of the most hated fighters in the company. A win for Stann wouldn’t just vault him into the title picture—it would increase his stature tenfold with UFC fans.

 

Siyar Bahadurzada vs. Mike Pyle/Josh Neer

Bahadurzada had quite the UFC debut with his walk-off knockout win over Paulo Thiago. Despite his status as an unknown fighter with casual fans, hardcore fans know and respect Bahazurdada as one of the most vicious strikers in MMA.

The winner of the Mike Pyle/Josh Neer bout makes perfect sense. Neer is a guy who will stand and trade punches with Bahadurzada, which almost guarantees an exciting brawl. Pyle would also provide the kind of tough, gritty opponent that Bahadurzada will eventually need to face in order to prove himself.

 

Dennis Siver vs. Bart Palaszewski

Siver’s featherweight debut got off to a rough start during weigh-ins, but he rebounded on Saturday with a big win over Diego Nunes. It wasn’t a dominant performance by any means, but Siver got the job done in a fight he absolutely needed to win.

I love striking battles, and that’s why I’d book Siver against Bart Palaszewski for his next bout. “Bartimus” is coming off a loss, but he still represents the kind of ranked opponent Siver needs to face next.

 

John Maguire vs. Rick Story

Maguire is 2-0 in the UFC and has earned a slight uptick in the quality of opponent he’ll face next. Rick Story is coming off two consecutive losses, but both of them were against tough opponents in Charlie Brenneman and Martin Kampmann. Despite the two losses in a row, he’s still ranked higher than Maguire. And yeah, I know Story has a fight booked with Rich Attonito. I’d still like to see him fight Maguire.

The intriguing thing about this potential fight would be Maguire’s attempts to get the bout to the ground, because he certainly wouldn’t want to stand up with Story for any real length of time. If he gets Story to the mat, he’d have a real chance at pulling the upset.

 

Brad Pickett vs. Miguel Torres/Michael McDonald

Pickett remains one of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, and he’s still near the top of the bantamweight rankings. He deserves a top opponent in his next bout.

Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber won’t settle their differences until July, which means the bantamweight title is likely tied up until late fall. It’s believed that Miguel Torres could secure a title shot with a strong win over Michael McDonald next week, but I don’t think Torres will want to wait on the sidelines for six months or more. 

Matching Pickett with the winner of Torres/McDonald gives you a clear-cut title contender and expands their profile with the UFC’s fanbase. That’s something the star-barren bantamweight division needs.

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UFC on Fuel TV 2 Results: Where Does Dennis Siver Rank at 145 Pounds?

Kickboxing specialist and former top 10 lightweight Dennis Siver made his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes in Sweden. In a closely-contested fight, Siver took home a unanimous decision victory over the Brazilian. Siver’s performance leaves somet…

Kickboxing specialist and former top 10 lightweight Dennis Siver made his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes in Sweden. In a closely-contested fight, Siver took home a unanimous decision victory over the Brazilian.

Siver’s performance leaves something to be desired from the German-Russian fighter.

As evidenced by the fact that he weighed in over the 146-pound limit initially, dropping the additional 10 pounds was a tougher endeavor than he had anticipated. Although he did not show significant cardio issues during the bout, his output was slower than past Octagon appearances.

After defeating Nunes, many are throwing Siver’s name into the featherweight title picture. However, that’s a bit hasty—even in a division void of legitimate challengers.

While the decision victory was not controversial, an argument could be made that Nunes was equally deserving of the nod on the judges’ scorecards.

Couple that with the fact that Siver was dominated by Donald Cerrone in his last outing at lightweight and was on the receiving end of a questionable decision over Matt Wiman before that, and Siver is anything but a contender.

Many will point to his 8-2 record over his last 10 fights, but his last three performances reveal a fighter that would be demolished by current 145-pound kingpin Jose Aldo.

Siver was able to withstand the striking attack of Nunes—who has only five finishes by strikes in 20 fights—but against a fighter like Aldo, Siver would be overwhelmed in much the same manner he was by Cerrone in his last outing at 155.

There’s no doubt that the UFC needs depth in the featherweight division and the veteran Siver provides that. In fact, the win over Nunes certainly puts him in the top 10, but until he strings together a few more wins in his new weight class, he’s nowhere near ready for Aldo.

 

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com