UFC on FOX 3 is in the books, and some fighters were super impressive while others fell on hard times, daddy. The card lacked name value, but all of the fights delivered with excitement and stories. It’s what makes MMA intriguing and keeps me tuning in…
UFC on FOX 3 is in the books, and some fighters were super impressive while others fell on hard times, daddy. The card lacked name value, but all of the fights delivered with excitement and stories. It’s what makes MMA intriguing and keeps me tuning in as a fan of the sport.
Let’s take a look at the main card and grade the performances of the combatants that took the cage tonight.
A+
Nate Diaz: HO-LEE CRAP! Nate Diaz is the biggest winner on the night. He becomes the first man to stop Jim Miller and earns himself a title shot with the win. Props to him for being respectful in victory.
Post-Fight Press Brownies: THESE BROWNIES WERE CRAZY! DEFINITE A+. SOMEONE GET THEM A “SNACK OF THE NIGHT” BONUS.
A-
Michael Johnson: He didn’t fight on the main card, but his performance tonight deserves recognition. There’s been questions in the past about his fight IQ and ability to maintain his composure when an opponent takes him off his game plan. Tonight, he had the best fight of his career and showed maturity as a fighter. Props to Michael Johnson.
Alan Belcher: Leading into this fight there were huge questions regarding his ability to escape Rousimar Palhares’ leg locks. Not only did he escape but he also attempted some of his own. The TKO finish was phenomenal and he made a case for contender consideration.
B
Lavar Johnson: Is there anyone in the heavyweight division that is physically more imposing than Lavar Johnson? He survived an early submission scare and finished the fight with those ham hocks he has for hands.
Johny Hendricks: He was told that in victory he would become the No. 1 contender for the welterweight title. It was a hard-fought win, but Johny Hendricks prevailed. He landed several powershots and showed improved boxing but lost in wrestling.
Josh Koscheck: This fight has to be disappointing for Josh Koscheck as the decision could have gone either way. Ricardo Almeida’s score card has caused some controversy and Koscheck has reason to be pissed.
C
Rousimar Palhares: He had several chances to finish the leg locks, but he just couldn’t keep the submission. When you only have a single path to victory, you have to get the tap out. He didn’t get the submission and paid dearly for it tonight.
Jim Miller: Jim Miller looked good in the first round and even took Nate Diaz’s back. He wasn’t able to maintain the position, though, and Diaz took over with his boxing. The biggest shame is that he was stopped for the first time in his UFC career.
Pat Barry: This has to be the worst loss of Pat Barry’s career. I was impressed that he had the submission attempt and his grappling looked as best as it has in his career. He made the mistake of letting Lavar tee off. Back to the drawing board, I guess?
Tonight’s UFC on FOX event is looking to be one for the ages, Potato Nation. The alcohol-fueled spirit of Cinco De Mayo has overtaken most, if not all, of the U.S of A by this point, and I’m no exception, so lets skip the fancy introductions and get right to it.
Preliminary results
-Karlos Vemola def. Mike Massenzio by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:07 of round two.
-Roland Delorme def. Nick Denis by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:59 of round one.
-Dennis Bermudez def. Pablo Garzo by UD
-Danny Castillo def. John Cholsih by UD
-Louis Gaudinot def. John Lineker by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:54 of round 2
-John Hathaway def. Paskal Krauss by UD
-John Dodson def. Tim Elliot by UD
-Michael Johnson def. Tony Ferguson by UD
A couple musings from the prelims:
-Apparently some McDonald’s Happy Meals DO come with Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelts. Just ask Mike Massenzio.
-Nick Denis has a ridiculous rat tail, but it can’t match up with Roland Delorme’s iron chin. What an amazing round of action that was.
Tonight’s UFC on FOX event is looking to be one for the ages, Potato Nation. The alcohol-fueled spirit of Cinco De Mayo has overtaken most, if not all, of the U.S of A by this point, and I’m no exception, so lets skip the fancy introductions and get right to it.
Preliminary results
-Karlos Vemola def. Mike Massenzio by submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:07 of round two.
-Roland Delorme def. Nick Denis by submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:59 of round one.
-Dennis Bermudez def. Pablo Garzo by UD
-Danny Castillo def. John Cholsih by UD
-Louis Gaudinot def. John Lineker by submission (guillotine choke) at 4:54 of round 2
-John Hathaway def. Paskal Krauss by UD
-John Dodson def. Tim Elliot by UD
-Michael Johnson def. Tony Ferguson by UD
A couple musings from the prelims:
-Apparently some McDonald’s Happy Meals DO come with Jiu-Jitsu Blackbelts. Just ask Mike Massenzio.
-Nick Denis has a ridiculous rat tail, but it can’t match up with Roland Delorme’s iron chin. What an amazing round of action that was.
They give a shout-out to Adam Yauch, who unfortunately lost his battle to cancer at just 47. In his honor, I am starting off this liveblog with a Brass Monkey at my side. Cheers.
Lavar Johnson vs. Pat Barry
Bruce Buffer seemed waaay to enthusiastic when announcing Lavar Johnson’s nickname. Just sayin’.
Round 1: Barry opens with a left hook and a nice leg kick. Johnson clinches. Barry hits a head kick off the fence, then an uppercut. Leg kick Barry. Johnson clinches again. A couple knees to the head from Johnson, then a flurry of those patented uppercuts. Barry looks for a takedown, might be in trouble. Barry moves to mount! Then moves to side control…weird. Barry’s going for an Americana… weirder. Rogan comments on his incorrect technique, but Johnson is grimacing like a sumbitch, so maybe its working. “Big” gets free. The mount is wide open for the taking, but Barry opts to stay in side control. Both men back to their feet, and a leg kick by Barry. Big kick by Johnson spins Barry around, and Johnson is just UNLOADING on Barry against the fence. Is Barry playing possum? Nope, Johnson continues to tee off on Barry until he drops and it is all over. Wow.
Man, Barry must have seriously been rocked, because he was a sitting duck for that last exchange. In either case, a great win for Johnson in defeating the more technical striker. Johnson tries to make the case for KOTN, saying, “He just wants that check.”
My God. Paul Harris’ highlight reel looks like a Faces of Deathmovie trailer. Those poor souls.
Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher
Goldberg tries to introduce Dan Mirogliatta twice and fails miserably.
Round 1: Both men are tentative at the start. Belcher faints a few jabs, and Palhares dives on a leg. Uh-oh. Holy shit, Belcher is looking for a Twister after a hell of a scramble, and now a banana split. I MUST be drunk. Palhares looking for a kneebar. Belcher defending, but its like watching a car accident happen in slo-mo. Palhares now trying for a heel hook of death. Belcher escapes! HE MUST BE GREASING! Nice elbows by Belcher, who is laying down some serious GnP. IT IS OVER!
Alan Belcher def. Rousimar Palhares via TKO, round 1.
What a victory for Belcher. The man put his legs in the grinder and came out unscathed. What the hell is going on with the audio feed? Either Mike Goldberg is having an aneurysm or something is really up, because one-word spurts are repeating on loop. Anyway, Belcher sort of claims that he is the most dangerous 185er on the ground since he defeated Palhares, and I’m inclined to believe him.
Jesus Christ, is Joe Rogan seriously trying to pass off Mir/Dos Santos as a grudge match? Who cares, because they’re playing “Brass Monkey” in the background of his and Dana White’s little chat. DRINK UP!
Once again, I have to hear that Josh Koscheck does in fact own a motherfucking plane. Screw this, I’m turning off the sound on my TV and throwing on some Danzig.
Round 1: Koscheck comes out with a front kick. Then another. Well, its already gone longer than I’d like it to. Koscheck with a nice right hook on the counter. Hendricks may be hurt, as Koscheck just landed a nice combo on him. Now another. Hendricks is in trouble, and tries a takedown that is ridiculously far from landing. Hendricks lands a nice uppercut, then goes for the double leg. They clinch against the fence, and are separated by Kevin Mulhall. Hendricks with a left hand, then tries for another takedown. Koscheck with a nice combo against the fence. Hendricks is looking for a one-punch KO here. Koscheck tries a spinning LOLfist as the round ends, and he likely took it.
Round 2: Hendricks is throwing looping punches trying to close the distance, but Kos ain’t having it. Uppercut Hendricks. Koscheck looks for a guillotine on a Hendricks takedown attempt, then goes for Hendricks’ back. Hendricks goes for a double and gets Kos against the fence. Crowd getting restless, those animals. On the separation, Kos whiffs a big left, and gets countered with an uppercut. They clinch again, and Kos lands a nice elbow before pushing off. Kos tries a head kick that gets blocked. Hendricks swinging away, then lands a leg kick and clinches as the bell sounds. Close round, but I’d give it to Hendricks.
Round 3: Koschecks eye is starting to resemble the GSP fight, and he bull rushes Hendricks into the fence. Mulhall separates, and the two swing away in a nice exchange. Hendricks lands a nice left hook that seems to hurt Kos, but then Kos fires back. Some really nice dirty boxing by Hendricks, ala Randy Couture. I think Koscheck’s eye may be in some trouble here, as Hendricks lands another knee. Takedown Kos, who briefly attempts an arm-triangle. Koscheck on top, working for mount, but Hendricks gets back to half-guard. Koscheck spends the remainder of the round on top and may take it.
Scratch that.
Johny Hendricks def. Josh Koscheck by split decision.
They’re desperately trying to push this season’s The Ultimate Fighter, but nothing, including Ronda Rousey, is going to make people want to stay in on a Friday night. Just ask….that show Fridays.
It’s main event time…
Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Brian Stann just reeled off a good four or five sentences when assessing this fight without saying the word “uh” once. Take that, Jon Jones. I forget who, but someone disagreed with my assessment that Diaz’s victory over Cerrone was “dominant” the other day. Joe Rogan just agreed with me, so SUCK IT WHOEVER YOU WERE.
Per usual, Miller comes out to “Bad Moon Rising,” which only reinforces my belief that he is the coolest thing to come out of Jersey in the history of ever.
Round 1: Diaz doesn’t touch gloves, go figure. Nice leg kick by Miller to start. Diaz clinches after a combination misses, but Miller pushes him into the fence. The crowd is already booing, WTF?! Nice knee by Miller, who tries an elbow over the top to follow. Leg kick Miller, then another. Right hook Diaz, then a nice body shot. Inside leg kick Diaz. Miller clinches Diaz against the fence, trying for a single. Diaz turns things around and lands a nice knee. Body kick Miller. Diaz drops Miller with a straight left! Miller dives for a takedown with 30 seconds left. Nice scramble, and Miller gets Diaz to the mat. Nate sweeps Miller as the round ends.
Round 2: Both men start the round with a left hand. Leg kick Miller, who follows it up with a right hand. Diaz pushes Miller into the fence and lands a few shots to the body. Nice elbow on the break by Miller. Diaz clinches again, looking for the trip, but is unsuccessful. Miller with a left over the top. Diaz tries a flying knee, and the taunting begins. They clinch and Diaz lands a nice knee that causes Miller to drop to a hand. Diaz with a nice elbow, and Miller dives for a takedown. Diaz tries a on-armed guillotine, and gets it! DAMN! Diaz becomes the first man to stop Jim Miller! Great finish!
Nate Diaz def. Jim Miller via submission (guillotine), round 2.
Holy shit. On the replay, Joe Rogan informs us that Miller’s mouthpiece fell out in the scramble, and he was nearly biting his own tongue off before he tapped.
Well, that’s all for me tonight. It looks like we have our next two challengers at lightweight and welterweight lined up. Thanks for stopping by, Potato Nation, and I’ll catch you all next week.
Nate Diaz will earn an opportunity at the lightweight title with a convincing win over Jim Miller in the main event of the UFC on Fox 3 this weekend.According to ESPN.com, Diaz would land a place in the lightweight title fight with a win over Miller on…
Nate Diaz will earn an opportunity at the lightweight title with a convincing win over Jim Miller in the main event of the UFC on Fox 3 this weekend.
According to ESPN.com, Diaz would land a place in the lightweight title fight with a win over Miller on Saturday in New Jersey.
UFC president Dana White has said a win by Diaz assures him of landing the Ben Henderson–Frankie Edgar winner. That bout is scheduled to take place Aug. 11 at UFC 150 in Denver.
Diaz has enjoyed great success over the last few years, winning five of his last eight fights, including two consecutive victories
One thing that makes Diaz such a difficult person to beat is that he never gives up and has impressive stamina.
He brings a ton of energy to every fight and won’t give in easily. Miller has an impressive 21-3 record, but few of his fights have been against someone as talented as Diaz.
With the fight of his career on the line, Diaz won’t let an opportunity for a major fight at UFC 150 in August pass him by.
He knows that a lightweight title would help make him a legitimate star in the MMA world, and also help his career rise to new heights.
Against an opponent he can beat, and with a chance for a title fight at stake, Diaz will knock out Miller in an exciting bout all MMA fans must watch.
Nate Diaz and Jim Miller have been staples of a fully loaded 155-lb. lightweight division for a while now, but never before have either been in a position to actually contend for the UFC lightweight title or face each other in the heat of battle.This S…
Nate Diaz and Jim Miller have been staples of a fully loaded 155-lb. lightweight division for a while now, but never before have either been in a position to actually contend for the UFC lightweight title or face each other in the heat of battle.
This Saturday night, both men get to do just that in East Rutherford, New Jersey’s IZOD Center for UFC on Fox 3. While there’s still a question of what a win might mean for Diaz, fans will tune in to this fight with the knowledge of what this fight means for Miller before it ever starts.
With the way in which both men scrap in their fights, one can guarantee that those in attendance will not leave the IZOD Center in disappointment when all is said and done.
Also, Johny Hendricks and Josh Koscheck take co-headlining status in a bout with similar implications, as a win could do big things for Hendricks.
Finally, Rousimar Palhares and Lavar Johnson have established themselves as names to focus on in their respective divisions, and on this night, they will hope that a win will put them one step closer towards being “in the mix” in their divisions.
However, for the heel-hooking machine Palhares, a step towards the UFC Middleweight title means contending with the always-ruthless striking and underrated ground competence of Alan Belcher, who insists that he will combat the task of Palhares’ Jiu-Jitsu head-on.
As for Johnson, he is a bit further away from talking about either Frank Mir or Junior Dos Santos than Palhares is from talking about Anderson Silva, Chael Sonnen, Brian Stann or Hector Lombard. Johnson could find himself much further away from that holy grail if he falls to Pat Barry, but Barry is as easy a task to overcome for Johnson’s fistic firepower as Johnson is to overcome for Barry’s powerful technical striking.
Who will prevail when the smoke clears?
You will find out tonight, as Bleacher Report MMA welcomes you to UFC on Fox 3: Diaz vs. Miller!
In the third installment of UFC on Fox, Las Vegas oddsmakers are practically giving money away by making Jim Miller a 2-1 favorite over the fiery Nate Diaz.Miller has the better record and the better ground game, but there’s no way he should be so heav…
In the third installment of UFC on Fox, Las Vegas oddsmakers are practically giving money away by making Jim Miller a 2-1 favorite over the fiery Nate Diaz.
Miller has the better record and the better ground game, but there’s no way he should be so heavily favored.
With his length, striking accuracy and volume punching, Diaz is perhaps the most dangerous stand-up fighter in the lightweight division. When he’s on his feet, he uses his 76-inch reach and relentless motor to devastate opponents.
He constantly throws strikes and lands an insanely high number of them. In his unanimous decision win over Donald Cerrone in December, Diaz connected on a ridiculous 82 percent of his strikes. If his number is anywhere near that tonight, Miller will be in trouble.
As he enters his physical prime, the 27-year-old Diaz is also showing major improvements in his all-around game.
His boxing became more technical and efficient against Takanori Gomi, and he took it to another level against Cerrone. And although he didn’t show it off in December, his grappling was much improved in the Gomi fight as well. He transitioned beautifully from the triangle lock to an armbar, earning the 10th submission victory of his career.
He won’t want to be off his feet too often against Miller, but if the fight does go to the ground, he can hold his own long enough to stand back up.
Like most MMA fights, this one will be decided by who can stay in his comfort zone. If Miller can’t keep Diaz off his feet, he will be eating punches all night long. Given the improvement in Diaz’s ground game, I don’t think Miler will be able to dominate him in that aspect.
This one will be close, and since neither fighter has been in a fourth or fifth round, it will get very interesting if this battle goes the distance. In the end, I think Diaz will win over the judges by constantly moving forward and connecting on a large majority of his punches.
If you’re the gambling type, put your money on Diaz and collect some easy cash.
Mixed martial arts will take center stage in the sports universe once again on Saturday night for UFC on FOX 3: Diaz vs. Miller. There are quite a few interesting bouts on this free fight card, but perhaps none has been more debated than the main …
Mixed martial arts will take center stage in the sports universe once again on Saturday night for UFC on FOX 3: Diaz vs. Miller.
There are quite a few interesting bouts on this free fight card, but perhaps none has been more debated than the main event between lightweights Nate Diaz and Jim Miller. For one reason or another, the MMA community seems to be split on who is going to come out on top in this one.
While MMA is a sport where anything can happen, I think it’s time for a little reality check going into this fight.
Nate Diaz is a very, very good fighter. He has come a long way since his days on The Ultimate Fighter. He has wins over high-level opponents and is a definite top-10 lightweight…but to honestly believe that he should be the favorite in this fight against Jim Miller is absurd.
Just because he has the last name “Diaz” does not mean that Nate is as good as Nick. And quite frankly, Jim Miller is a fighter who is practically tailor-made to beat him in a five-round fight.
Miller is the owner of a ridiculous 21-3 professional mixed martial arts record with 10 of the wins coming in the UFC. He has beaten some very notable opponents, with his only losses coming against the very best that UFC has to offer—Gray Maynard, Frankie Edgar and current 155-pound champion Benson Henderson.
What’s even crazier? Despite being the best in the world, neither Maynard nor Edgar nor Henderson could finish Jim Miller.
So where does that put Nate Diaz?
Well, let’s just say his chances aren’t very good.
Don’t get me wrong—Diaz is a beast. He has victories over Melvin Guillard and even outclassed Donald Cerrone in his most recent fight…but the skeptic in me also points to the fact that he has lost to the likes of Joe Stevenson and Dong Hyun Kim.
Sure, the loss to Kim took place in the 170-pound division which he has since moved down from, but the point remains—Nate Diaz struggles with fighters who can take him down. This was also proven in the one-sided beatdown he took from Rory MacDonald.
Jim Miller can and by all accounts should be able to take Nate Diaz down numerous times throughout this bout. Not only that, but his striking is good enough that he won’t get completely embarrassed on the feet should he struggle to get the fight to the ground.
Many will point to Diaz’s jiu-jitsu skills as a rebuttal for my argument that he will get controlled by Miller on the ground; however the the reality is that, barring some cataclysmic mistake from Miller on the ground, there is no way that Nate Diaz is submitting him from the bottom. It hasn’t happened to Miller in 24 pro fights. It’s not going to happen on Saturday night either.
Though I’m not expecting a repeat of the one-sided ass-whooping that Michael Chandler put on Akihiro Gono on Bellator on Friday night, I do see Jim Miller winning this fight fairly decisively, very likely by a judges’ decision.
I’m sure that I’m going to get backlash on this article for telling it like it is and I’m OK with that. Sometimes these things need to be said.
Don’t call me a “hater” because I do believe that Nate Diaz is a good fighter…he’s just not on Jim Miller’s level.
UFC on FOX 3 is in the books, and some fighters were super impressive while others fell on hard times, daddy. The card lacked name value, but all of the fights delivered with excitement and stories. It’s what makes MMA intriguing and keeps me tuning in as a fan of the sport. 