The UFC 145 fight card features a much-anticipated light heavyweight championship bout between defending champion Jon Jones and Rashad Evans. Lost in the hype of that matchup is that one of the UFC’s top up-and-comers, Rory MacDonald, will serve as the…
The UFC 145 fight card features a much-anticipated light heavyweight championship bout between defending champion Jon Jones and Rashad Evans. Lost in the hype of that matchup is that one of the UFC’s top up-and-comers, Rory MacDonald, will serve as the event’s co-headliner in a matchup against Che Mills.
Much like the card’s headliner Jon Jones was just a little more than a year ago, Rory MacDonald is one of the sport’s brightest young prospects who is ready to make the leap to bonafide contender status.
MMA has seen its fair share of young fighters flash promise only to wilt when it was time to step up to the elite level of competition. Most recently, Phil Davis showed that he wasn’t quite ready for the best in his division when he lost a lopsided decision to Rashad Evans at UFC on Fox 2.
These are five up-and-comers ready to take the next step in competition and become contenders.
The drought is almost over.On Saturday, April 14, the UFC will hold its first event since March 3, when the promotion travels to Sweden to present UFC on Fuel TV 2—a card that will be headlined by a light heavyweight scrap between Alexander Gusta…
The drought is almost over.
On Saturday, April 14, the UFC will hold its first event since March 3, when the promotion travels to Sweden to present UFC on Fuel TV 2—a card that will be headlined by a light heavyweight scrap between Alexander Gustafsson and Thiago Silva.
One change on this card is that the event will be broadcast live with the preliminary card set to be streamed on Facebook beginning at 12:30 p.m. ET. The main card will begin at 3 p.m. ET, and as the card name indicates, will be broadcast on Fuel TV.
Many of the preliminary card fights will feature combatants that will make their UFC debut in Sweden, while the main card will feature several fighters looking to put themselves in position to challenge for UFC titles.
What follows are the questions we have as we near Saturday’s fight card.
Were you a big Brock Lesnar fan who’s not quite sure how to feel about his return to pro wrestling? Can’t be in front of the television every Monday night, or unclear how to work a DVR despite it being 2012? Well, I’ve found my purpose in life, bringin…
Were you a big Brock Lesnar fan who’s not quite sure how to feel about his return to pro wrestling? Can’t be in front of the television every Monday night, or unclear how to work a DVR despite it being 2012? Well, I’ve found my purpose in life, bringing you Brock Lesnar’s WWE exploits weekly right here at Bleacher Report.
The Facts:
After recapping Lesnar’s triumphant return to the WWE last week, they waste little time bringing Lesnar out to the ring. He’s there with John Laurinaitis, the new authority figure, which establishes Lesnar as a bad guy. The crowd hasn’t quite caught on, as Lesnar is met with more cheers than boos. Lesnar has one goal—bringing legitimacy back to the WWE.
Laurinaitis announces the two will meet at Extreme Rules on PPV in three weeks. Then…wait for it…that’s John Cena‘s music! The former champion interrupts Lesnar, who once again forgot the sleeves on his MMA style t-shirt. Positively Belichickian.
Cena slaps Lesnar in the face and Lesnar responds, sensibly, with a takedown and some ground-and-pound. The first punch was a solid one. Potato alert! Later the announcers hint that Cena actually lost some teeth in the exchange.
An absolutely comical number of superstars run into ring to separate them and even more comically, can’t. It’s an ode to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Mike Tyson in the lead-up to WrestleMania 14. The two go back and forth playing “hold me back” and Cena ends up with a split lip. Someone may need to remind Lesnar that wrestling is worked.
Lesnar is finally dragged out the ring, while Cena smiles maniacally. Things are finally simmering down as we cut to a commercial break. (Lesnar Segment 1)
Lesnar later comes back out for an interview with Josh Matthews. Lesnar tries to give himself a new nickname, “The War Machine,” and tells Matthews that Cena couldn’t hold his jock strap, as he proved it in the ring. (Lesnar Segment 2)
The show ends with Lesnar, once again, getting the best of Cena. He sneaks up behind Cena after the WWE’s biggest star won a squash, kicking him right in the nuts and F-5ing him. The show goes off the air with Cena lying helpless in the ring, (Lesnar Segment 3)
My Not So Humble Opinion:
The segment played to Lesnar’s strengths. He didn’t have to talk much and got to takedown and punch someone in the face. He’s probably loving this return. In two weeks, Lesnar hasn’t taken a single bump and has dominated Cena.
They went a little too far filling the ring with wrestlers. It wasn’t exactly believable to see the two men shrug off the entire WWE roster to get at each other. But it was intense and it worked. If you wanted us to believe in a feud between the two men, well, some blood the hard way is a good start. (Segment 1)
Lesnar’s first promo since returning to the WWE went fairly well. Lesnar lets us know he’s proud to be back in wrestling, just like he’s proud of everything he does. It didn’t blow anyone away, but it was perfectly respectable. It will get better as he gets back in the swing of things. (Segment 2)
Has John Cena never watched wrestling before? Everyone in the building knew Lesnar would hit the ring. Everyone, except apparently, John Cena. They are really doing a good job building Lesnar back into a star. (Segment 3)
Brock Talk:
First and foremost I’d like to thank you, Mr. Laurinaitis, for bringing credibility back to the WWE.” (Segment 1)
“A guy like John Cena? He thinks he’s at the top. But he couldn’t hold my jock strap in a million years.” (Segment 2)
Classic Lesnar Moment of the Week:
Lesnar apologizes after talking trash to Frank Mir after their UFC 100 rematch.
What’s next for Lesnar? Will Cena get his revenge? Will Lauriniatis serve as his mouthpiece going forward, or was that a one-time thing? And will Lesnar debut a t-shirt with sleeves? Stay tuned to this space for the latest in all things Brock Lesnar.
While former Strikeforce middleweight contender and Bully Beatdown host Jason “Mayhem” Miller will no doubt be fighting for his job at UFC146, that didn’t stop him from calling out one of the top 185-pound fighters in the world. Mayhem took a shot…
While former Strikeforce middleweight contender and Bully Beatdown host Jason “Mayhem” Miller will no doubt be fighting for his job at UFC146, that didn’t stop him from calling out one of the top 185-pound fighters in the world.
A fun fact here is that Sonnen and Miller actually fought very early in their careers under the Hitman Fighting Productions’ “Rumble on the Reservation” card in March 2002.
Sonnen put on a takedown clinic and soundly defeated Mayhem by unanimous decision in the bout.
Mayhem looks for his first win under the UFC banner in May when he takes on C.B. Dollaway, while Sonnen has earned his rematch with UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 147 in June.
The UFC’s Octagon has been home to thousands of fights and combatants throughout the years, with each serving as an opportunity to capture the hearts and memories of fans across the globe. Over the course of more than 200 events (including tourna…
The UFC’s Octagon has been home to thousands of fights and combatants throughout the years, with each serving as an opportunity to capture the hearts and memories of fans across the globe.
Over the course of more than 200 events (including tournaments, fight nights and Ultimate Fighter finales), only a select few have made the promotion’s Hall of Fame. Those seven fighters embodied what the sport of mixed martial arts is all about and have helped the promotion achieve new levels of growth and excitement.
Over time, others will join that group—a testament to the evolution of the sport. Each offering something new to the sport, whether it be a new audience, style or something entirely different.
Here’s a look at 15 fighters who have shaped the UFC into what it is today, through both their fighting prowess and reach beyond the cage walls.
Photo: Royce Gracie (L) and Ken Shamrock after their draw at UFC 5 – AP
When MMA started to gain popularity in the martial arts world, karate and other traditional styles were left by the wayside and deemed ineffective by the mainstream fanbase. But as the years have gone on, styles like karate have rocketed back to releva…
When MMA started to gain popularity in the martial arts world, karate and other traditional styles were left by the wayside and deemed ineffective by the mainstream fanbase.
But as the years have gone on, styles like karate have rocketed back to relevancy thanks to guys like former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Lyoto Machida. Utilizing his quick footwork, unorthodox fighting stance and karate-based strikes, Machida helped pioneer the use of this art in MMA.
Today, techniques used in karate are starting to be integrated into many fighters’ arsenals. More and more karate-based fighters are also making the leap into MMA and finding a great amount of success.
In the video above, Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Matt Juul breaks down the top five karate stylists in MMA today.
Were you a big 