(Nate Diaz will face Jim Miller in the main event of tomorrow’s big Fox card)
Almost all the fighters made weight this afternoon in New Jersey for the UFC on Fox 3 card taking place Saturday night. Check out the weigh-in results and full video of the proceedings below. Also, don’t forget to follow the action, play-by-play, tomorrow night here at CagePotato.
Main Card:
Nate Diaz 156 vs. Jim Miller 156
Johny Hendricks 170.5 vs. Josh Koscheck 170.5
Alan Belcher 186 vs. Rousimar Palhares 186
Pat Barry 244 vs. Lavar Johnson 253
Prelims:
Tony Ferguson 154.5 vs. Michael Johnson 156
John Dodson 126 vs. Tim Elliott 125
John Hathaway 169 vs. Pascal Krauss 169
Louis Gaudinot 126 vs. John Lineker 127 (Fined $1,200 for missing weight by a pound) Danny Castillo 155 vs. John Cholish 155.5
Dennis Bermudez 145.5 vs. Pablo Garza 145
Roland Delorme 135 vs. Nick Denis 135
Mike Massenzio 184 vs. Karlos Vemola 185
Full Weigh-Ins Video After the Jump:
(Nate Diaz will face Jim Miller in the main event of tomorrow’s big Fox card)
Almost all the fighters made weight this afternoon in New Jersey for the UFC on Fox 3 card taking place Saturday night. Check out the weigh-in results and full video of the proceedings below. Also, don’t forget to follow the action, play-by-play, tomorrow night here at CagePotato.
Main Card:
Nate Diaz 156 vs. Jim Miller 156
Johny Hendricks 170.5 vs. Josh Koscheck 170.5
Alan Belcher 186 vs. Rousimar Palhares 186
Pat Barry 244 vs. Lavar Johnson 253
Prelims:
Tony Ferguson 154.5 vs. Michael Johnson 156
John Dodson 126 vs. Tim Elliott 125
John Hathaway 169 vs. Pascal Krauss 169
Louis Gaudinot 126 vs. John Lineker 127 (Fined $1,200 for missing weight by a pound) Danny Castillo 155 vs. John Cholish 155.5
Dennis Bermudez 145.5 vs. Pablo Garza 145
Roland Delorme 135 vs. Nick Denis 135
Mike Massenzio 184 vs. Karlos Vemola 185
Tomorrow night, the UFC on Fox 3 brings us some big matchups. There are two title-shots on the line as well as intriguing battles in the middleweight and heavyweight divisions. Let’s take a look at the fighters who can’t afford to lose.Alan Belcher is …
Tomorrow night, the UFC on Fox 3 brings us some big matchups. There are two title-shots on the line as well as intriguing battles in the middleweight and heavyweight divisions. Let’s take a look at the fighters who can’t afford to lose.
Alan Belcher is a battle-tested middleweight who should currently be riding a six fight winning streak, were it not for an incorrect decision against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100. Belcher has an inspiring tale of courage, as a detached retina nearly cost him his vision and his career back in August 2010. His bout with Rousimar Palhares is his second Octagon trip since returning from the injury. A loss will blow him off of the comeback trail.
Belcher may lose more than the fight if his opponent secures one of his signature leg locks. Palhares has failed to release a submission in the past, and if he repeats the offense tomorrow night, Belcher could lose the use of his leg.
And how about former title contender Josh Koscheck? Kos was thoroughly dominated by champion Georges St. Pierre in such a way, that he likely won’t get another shot at the title without an incredible string of wins. At 34 years old, a loss for Koscheck will send him plummeting out of the rankings and cause him to start from scratch. If winning a championship is his career goal, failure tomorrow could signify the end of his chase.
Another fighter who has a lot to lose is Ultimate Fighter winner Nate Diaz. After last year’s back-to-back wins over legendary Takanori Gomi and the white-hot Donald Cerrone, tomorrow night’s contest against Jim Miller is an important test against a dangerous submission specialist.
Dana Whitestated that a win for Diaz will secure him a shot at the UFC lightweight championship. When you consider that Jim Miller and George Sotiropoulos secured seven consecutive wins without getting their shot at gold, the fact that Diaz can earn a “cut the line” pass with only three consecutive wins is an amazing opportunity. If he comes up short tomorrow night, his last two impressive performances will have been for naught.
The fighter with the most to lose, though, has got to be Johny Hendricks. Coming off of a 12 second KO win over perennial contender Jon Fitch, Hendricks is fighting for two things tomorrow night: a title shot, and to prove that he is not a fluke.
A loss tomorrow to former title-contender Josh Koscheck will send Hendricks out of contention, and likely convince fans of revisionist history that he was never a threat in the first place. With tremendous wrestling credentials and one-punch KO power, that certainly isn’t the case, but it’s not a mentality that he can afford for fight fans to adopt.
All of these fighters are featured on the main card of UFC on FOX 3, which airs tomorrow night at 8pm.
Don’t forget to check out this story’s companion article:
The April 9, 2005 bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar was a historic moment for the UFC. It was the culmination of Zuffa’s last-ditch effort to make an impact with an audience that extended beyond the hardcore fans who had been followi…
The April 9, 2005 bout between Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar was a historic moment for the UFC.
It was the culmination of Zuffa’s last-ditch effort to make an impact with an audience that extended beyond the hardcore fans who had been following the sport for years. After several years running failing events and building up debt, UFC CEO Lorenzo Fertitta and his brother Frank were strongly considering selling off the company.
But the Fertittas took a chance on the reality show. They paid for the production of the first season. If it failed, they’d sell the company, concentrate on their Las Vegas casino empire and never look back.
It wasn’t a failure. A dramatic season filled with watchable characters led to high ratings for the show. The cherry on top came at the finale, where Griffin and Bonnar faced off in one of the most legendary fights in MMA history.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was one of the most thrilling fights you’ll ever see. And it helped launch the UFC to heights the Fertittas and Dana White could have never imagined in 2004. It also helped turn Spike into a destination network for male programming.
“For some odd reason, deep down inside I feel like it’s going to be the second coming of Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar for the masses,” he said. “The first wave of the crazy ‘wow’ was Ultimate Fighter. Now you have FOX television, and something is telling me it’s going to be one of those great type of fights.
“It just has all the makings to be one of those fights,” he continued. “They’re both hard to submit, they both have good standup, they both have good cardio, teams, coaching, everything. It’s a great fight, so competitively matched up.”
It will be tough for Miller and Diaz to live up to the legacy Griffin and Bonnar created that night in Las Vegas.
For starters, they’re completely different fighters. The chances of Miller participating in a wild slugfest with Diaz over the course of five rounds are slim to none. He’s a smart fighter and realizes that slugging things out with Diaz is a recipe for disaster.
Ultimately, this is not 2005. The UFC has grown exponentially from those uncertain days. It has consistently permeated the outside edges of the sporting world for quite some time now, and it has made bigger splashes when there are highly-anticipated fights to promote. We’ve seen commercials featuring UFC stars during NFL playoff games.Seven years ago, that was unthinkable.
Could Miller and Diaz put on a memorable fight that attracts new fans to the sport? Sure. In fact, I think that’s probably going to happen.
But it won’t do what Griffin vs. Bonnar did, and that’s okay. It doesn’t have to.
The UFC returns to Fox this Saturday with a stacked four-fight main card featuring some of the sport’s most exciting and best fighters. In the main event, lightweights Nate Diaz and Jim Miller will fight for a chance to get a shot at the title. Miller …
The UFC returns to Fox this Saturday with a stacked four-fight main card featuring some of the sport’s most exciting and best fighters.
In the main event, lightweights Nate Diaz and Jim Miller will fight for a chance to get a shot at the title. Miller was last seen submitting Melvin Guillard while Diaz defeated Takanori Gomi and Donald Cerrone to put him in the No. 1 contender’s bout.
Many expect it to be closely contested throughout the scheduled five rounds. Being a fight between two of the division’s toughest fighters, fans should expect nothing but a memorable fight for however long it lasts.
In the co-main event, Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks will fight in a matchup of two of the best wrestlers in the welterweight division. Hendricks knocked out the former No. 2 welterweight Jon Fitch at UFC 141 to get the biggest win of his career. A win in this fight could launch him into a title fight.
Koscheck defeated Mike Pierce in a closely contested bout from UFC 143. He’s also coming off of a victory over Matt Hughes.
Also on the main card, submission ace Rousimar Palhares returns to take on Alan Belcher. Palhares is coming off a heel hook victory over Mike Massenzio while Belcher is on a three-fight winning streak—the longest of his UFC career.
Heavyweights Pat Barry and Lavar Johnson will open the main card, which airs at 8 p.m. ET.
Other bouts on Fuel TV include Tony Ferguson vs. Michael Johnson, John Dodson vs. Tim Elliot and John Hathaway vs. Pascal Krauss
As if the day in sports wasn’t busy enough on Saturday, UFC on Fox 3 has a strong card featuring several top fighters hoping to pick up big wins. Anytime there are so many evenly matched fights, the card usually lives up to the hype. Let’s take a look …
As if the day in sports wasn’t busy enough on Saturday, UFC on Fox 3 has a strong card featuring several top fighters hoping to pick up big wins. Anytime there are so many evenly matched fights, the card usually lives up to the hype.
Let’s take a look at three stars who will fall short, knocking them down the ladder at least a rung or two. With the competitiveness of UFC on the rise in recent years, every loss is key because there’s always somebody looking to take the spot.
Inconsistency has started to plague Diaz over the past couple years. Any time it seems like he’s starting to build up some momentum, he quickly loses it all. That’s why his two-fight winning streak really doesn’t mean anything as he prepares to face Jim Miller.
Miller doesn’t get the recognition he deserves for being one of the sport’s rising stars. The submission specialist has won eight of his last nine fights, including a quick victory over Melvin Guillard his last time out in January.
When Diaz does struggle, it’s usually against opponents like Miller that have shown the ability to play strong defense. Look for Miller to let Diaz wear himself out before earning the victory.
Josh Koscheck
Koscheck is difficult to figure out. When he faces lower-level opponents, he usually controls the entire fight. But whenever he tries to step it up to battle an elite fighter, he doesn’t showcase the same versatility and falls short.
That’s a worrisome trend as he gets ready to take on Johny Hendricks. The southpaw has won 12 of his 13 career fights in MMA, including a 7-1 mark since joining UFC. He’s a powerful striker that will cause plenty of problems for Koscheck.
This will be a huge chance for Hendricks to prove his record isn’t a fluke against a big name. I expect him to respond to that challenge with a strong showing to knockout Koscheck.
Lavar Johnson
Johnson was able to end his losing streak by defeating Joey Beltran back in January, but he’ll face a much tougher test from Pat Barry on Saturday. It has the potential to be the most entertaining fight on the card because both guys love to strike.
The problem of Johnson is Barry’s defense. Barry has only been knocked out once in his career while 14 of Johnson’s 16 wins have come via KO. So something has to give and you have to give the advantage to Barry, at least by a small margin.
Johnson will come out with his usual level of aggressiveness. Barry will wait for an opening and will earn the biggest win of his career so far, opening up bigger chances moving forward.
This weekend’s fight for Nate Diaz against Jim Miller has big meaning for Diaz.Diaz, the younger brother of Nick Diaz, has been in his shadow and referred to as Nick Diaz’s younger brother. He can shed that title with a victory over Miller.The younger …
This weekend’s fight for Nate Diaz against Jim Miller has big meaning for Diaz.
Diaz, the younger brother of Nick Diaz, has been in his shadow and referred to as Nick Diaz’s younger brother. He can shed that title with a victory over Miller.
The younger Diaz has made a name for himself in his early UFC career, but his brother’s success seems to overshadow him. His last fight against Donald Cerrone was possibly the best fight of his career and gave him higher respect among the fans and his opponents. The full force of what Diaz can do was shown at UFC 141, and what we saw was just the beginning.
Miller is already established as one of the best fighters in UFC. He only has three losses in his career, all of which came from three of the best fighters in UFC, Frankie Edgar, Gray Maynard and Benson Henderson.
Miller has something to prove as well. He wants to show that he belongs in the same conversation as those three fighters listed above. A loss to Diaz might make people think otherwise and have Miller rated as a very good fighter but not a great one.
Diaz has a record of 15-7, and after losing three out of four fights early in his career, he decided that he wanted to make a full-time move to the 170 lb. weight class. In his last 10 fights, he has a record of 5-5 and has been on the decline. However, as mentioned before he had possibly his greatest fight during his last match.
What we need to see out of Diaz is more consistency. That’s what’s separating Diaz from his brother and other great fighters. His Jiu-Jitsu skills are phenomenal, and he is a real explosive fighter. He needs to learn how to control himself when he gets in trouble, especially when he is getting out-wrestled. His impatience gets the best of him at times, and it needs to get controlled.
The fight should be a close battle that should go the distance. Diaz and Miller both have a lot to gain from this fight, but Diaz needs this fight more. Expect this fight to go the distance, with Diaz pulling out the victory. This fight is critical for him and his career, and he will realize it and come out more willing to win.
Tomorrow night, the 