Tag: Nik Lentz

The UFC Featherweight Ladder: Ranking the Division’s Worthiest Challengers


(Pictured above: Barry “Sarge” Walters, the schizophrenic UFC fan who can often be seen running onstage during weigh-ins. / Photo via Getty)

By Alex Giardini

Unlike some weight-classes we won’t mention, the UFC featherweight division is currently loaded with dangerous contenders, any of whom could be a serious title threat in the future. At UFC 163 (August 3rd, Rio de Janeiro), divisional ruler Jose Aldo defends his belt against fan-favorite “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, and as long as an immediate rematch isn’t booked, there will be a feeding frenzy of 145-pounders trying to make their case as the true #1 contender. So who’s worthiest of the next title shot? Let’s put aside the phony UFC rankings and business-driven matchmaking and break down where each featherweight contender really stands in the pecking order.

Ricardo Lamas
(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

Lamas is the obvious frontrunner to be next in line but why is he being overlooked? The fact that Jung got the title shot over Lamas after their UFC 162 bout was canceled raised a few eyebrows in itself. Lamas, who hasn’t lost in over a year and a half, has blazed through his opposition in the UFC including men on this very list, and despite demolishing a highly-regarded prospect in Erik Koch back in January, his immediate future is unknown. Lamas has a devastating striking game — including some flashy and dangerous kicks — which gives him the ability to end a fight at any moment. He also has a quality wrestling pedigree, alongside a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, and his ground and pound is murderous; woe to anyone in the division who finds himself on the bottom of Lamas’s elbows and power strikes.

It’s relatively strange that Lamas was skipped in line for a title shot but maybe the UFC feels Aldo’s competition should come with a familiar face. Jung is no slouch, finishing all three opponents thus far in his UFC career, but Lamas also has an equally impressive track record in the company – undefeated in four bouts with previous stoppages over Cub Swanson, Matt Grice. The aforementioned brutalizing of Erik Koch was a major reason to include him in the mix, as Koch was a highly-touted prospect who was already paving his way to a title shot before he met “The Bully.” With Conor McGregor and Cub Swanson angling for fights with the Chicago-born fighter, his next move is up in the air, but maybe he’ll remain quiet until August 3rd to see how everything pans out.


(Pictured above: Barry “Sarge” Walters, the schizophrenic UFC fan who can often be seen running onstage during weigh-ins. / Photo via Getty)

By Alex Giardini

Unlike some weight-classes we won’t mention, the UFC featherweight division is currently loaded with dangerous contenders, any of whom could be a serious title threat in the future. At UFC 163 (August 3rd, Rio de Janeiro), divisional ruler Jose Aldo defends his belt against fan-favorite “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung, and as long as an immediate rematch isn’t booked, there will be a feeding frenzy of 145-pounders trying to make their case as the true #1 contender. So who’s worthiest of the next title shot? Let’s put aside the phony UFC rankings and business-driven matchmaking and break down where each featherweight contender really stands in the pecking order.

Ricardo Lamas

(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

Lamas is the obvious frontrunner to be next in line but why is he being overlooked? The fact that Jung got the title shot over Lamas after their UFC 162 bout was canceled raised a few eyebrows in itself. Lamas, who hasn’t lost in over a year and a half, has blazed through his opposition in the UFC including men on this very list, and despite demolishing a highly-regarded prospect in Erik Koch back in January, his immediate future is unknown. Lamas has a devastating striking game — including some flashy and dangerous kicks — which gives him the ability to end a fight at any moment. He also has a quality wrestling pedigree, alongside a brown belt in jiu-jitsu, and his ground and pound is murderous; woe to anyone in the division who finds himself on the bottom of Lamas’s elbows and power strikes.

It’s relatively strange that Lamas was skipped in line for a title shot but maybe the UFC feels Aldo’s competition should come with a familiar face. Jung is no slouch, finishing all three opponents thus far in his UFC career, but Lamas also has an equally impressive track record in the company – undefeated in four bouts with previous stoppages over Cub Swanson, Matt Grice. The aforementioned brutalizing of Erik Koch was a major reason to include him in the mix, as Koch was a highly-touted prospect who was already paving his way to a title shot before he met “The Bully.” With Conor McGregor and Cub Swanson angling for fights with the Chicago-born fighter, his next move is up in the air, but maybe he’ll remain quiet until August 3rd to see how everything pans out.

Frankie Edgar

(Photo via Getty Images)

Maybe because Edgar is used to razor-thin decisions, it was fitting that the New Jersey native pushed Aldo as far as anyone did thus far in the Brazilian’s championship tenure. Physically incapable of having a boring fight, Edgar’s pace was a bad matchup for Aldo in the championship rounds – he was able to take the champion down and didn’t look as exhausted as his counterpart. With his win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 162, Edgar looks posed to make a statement in the division, and it’s inevitable he will get another shot. His star power is unmatched for a non title-holder, and it would be a crime if Edgar is slotted anywhere under the co-main event for the rest of his career. Edgar’s drop to featherweight grants the division with an abundance of possibilities for his next bout – putting him against almost any other 145′er (especially the ones on this list) would create a compelling, main event-worthy fight.

Edgar’s gutsy first performance against “Scarface” has already earned him the right to a future rematch, and the thought of Edgar scrapping with Jung is salivating, to say the least. The dilemma that surrounds Edgar is that he may catch the ‘‘Urijah Faber title bug,’’ which means he constantly gets title shots no matter how the previous ones pan out. But Edgar was a champion not too long ago, and although Faber was the kingpin of the WEC in his time, Edgar was ranked as the top pound-for-pound fighter when he was the champion, not only due to his skill but his immeasurable heart — plus, he actually won some of those UFC title fights.

Since Edgar is currently 1-1 in the featherweight division, he’ll need another fight to climb back up the ladder. With a victory, he can leave no doubt in anyone’s mind that he’s title-bound yet again.

Cub Swanson

(Photo via MMAFighting)

The Albuquerque, New Mexico-based featherweight has had an inspiring comeback in the UFC — after going 5-3 in the WEC, he lost his UFC debut against Ricardo Lamas but has summoned a storm in the division with five straight victories including stoppages over Ross Pearson, Charles Oliveira and Dennis Siver. Greg Jackson thinks Swanson did enough with his win two weeks ago to be granted the next title shot, and his dazzling displays of speed, intensity and work on the ground has proven he could hang with the best in the division. Swanson would like to get revenge from that bitter WEC 41 fight against Aldo back in 2009 when he got his eye socket obliterated by the current champion’s knees. He would be keen on showcasing his abilities against Aldo for real this time, since seven seconds was surely not enough.

Even if you’re a firm doubter of the MMA math, Swanson lost to three men in the past three years that are on this list — Ricardo Lamas, Chad Mendes and Jose Aldo — so it might be tough for the UFC brass to jump him ahead of any of those guys. But Swanson looks like a fighter reborn, and if it’s true that “everyone has a comeback,” Swanson’s previous efforts should not weigh so heavily on the possibility of a title fight. Out of six UFC appearances, he has earned two Knockout of the Night bonuses as well as a Fight of the Night honors two weeks ago. He could be the fan favorite for a title shot this very moment and if the UFC feels he has done enough to earn the shot, we’d have no problem with that.

Swanson’s name has been appearing besides the likes Ricardo Lamas, Frankie Edgar and the winner of Aldo/Jung when talking about his next fight. His recent track record has him at the forefront above anyone on this list in terms of accomplishments, but beating a fellow contender before a championship fight would really set his position in stone.

The winner of Clay Guida vs. Chad Mendes at UFC 164

(Photo via MMAWeekly)

The self-proclaimed ”Big Lebowski addict” has always been an exciting fighter to watch, but Guida’s recent performances against Anthony Pettis and Hatsui Hioki were tedious displays of lay and pray, and have turned him from crowd-favorite to UFC villain. Minus the highly entertaining war he had with Benson Henderson, we’ve seen Guida borrow a play off Kalib Starnes’ clipboard against Gray Maynard in a main event snoozer last summer, and play it extremely safe during Anthony Pettis’s Octagon debut in mid-2011.

Guida is still a recognizable figure among fans and is extremely likable, but the notion of him never being in a boring fight is somewhat gone. He has been in the UFC since 2006, and his 10-7 record sums it up if you’re wondering why he has never earned a title shot.

Meanwhile, Chad Mendes’s capability to finish fights and his constant title aspirations could have him on the top of anyone’s list. Mendes had some good moments against Jose Aldo during their title fight at UFC 142, but the way “Scarface” ended the fight left no doubt in anyone’s mind. Still, it was a learning experience that was necessary for his career, and Mendes has bounced back a better fighter because of it.

Mendes’s immense frame is an undeniable advantage at featherweight, since he is one of the stronger competitors in the division. If there is one criticism about Mendes, it’s that his past three fights were mismatches – against Cody McKenzie, Yaotzin Meza and Darren Elkins – even though that last one looked good on paper. Still, you can’t argue with the results: three first-round finishes in his last three fights, none of them exceeding two minutes.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea if the winner of this fight waited until beating one more opponent before they are thrown in the Octagon against the champion. That is unless one of them scores a spectacular knockout. Unfortunately, this fight has “decision” written all over it.

Nik Lentz

(Photo via Getty Images)

It’s safe to say that Lentz had some forgettable performances in his UFC career. (It’s pretty hard to remember fights that you slept through.) Lentz has been in the UFC for a little under four years now, facing some stiff competition from the likes of Evan Dunham, Charles Oliveira and Mark Bocek. Although he dropped a decision to Bocek, suffered a doctor’s stoppage TKO against Dunham, and was illegally kneed in the head by Oliveira, which turned that original loss into a no contest, Lentz had won Fight of The Night honors for two of those fights and is currently riding a three-fight win streak. Lentz’s comfort with his striking game is increasing, and he’s slowly losing his reputation as the boring wrestler who grinds you against the cage for fifteen minutes. He has the style and will to have a good fight with almost anyone in the division. In terms of his popularity, that’s what needs work — in twelve fights, he’s never appeared on the main card…not even once. His fights have been televised, but it’s the boring ones really stuck out — his stinker with Andre Winner could have been the worst televised fight in the world since William Shatner against a demonic Ninja Turtle. But if Lentz can sneak onto a main card fight and secure another finish, that could have the UFC brass (and the fans) finally considering him as a worthy challenger.

Final Analysis…

The only reasonable decision that could be made is if Lamas gets a title shot against the winner of Aldo vs. “Zombie.” The lack of attention being paid to him as of late in terms of getting recognition and another fight is odd, but perhaps the UFC already has him penciled in to be the next challenger.

Edgar and Swanson should trade blows, not only because it would be one hell of an exciting clash, but it would also facilitate the next steps at the top of the division — have the winners of those respective fights meet, and why not have the losers meet as well? Either way, the UFC’s business model will probably decide this for us, and although they have let us down before, any of these three men would be worth considering. The champion has already beaten three out of these six men (ironically, those three men would probably be the managerial and fan favorites for Aldo’s hypothetical next title defense) but if Jung walks away with the upset in Rio de Janeiro in convincing fashion, the division is blown wide open with numerous possibilities. Whether or not Aldo retains his title or “Zombie” shocks the world, there won’t be boring or unimpressive matchmaking when it comes to title bouts for quite a while at one-forty-five.

Manny Gamburyan Earns Spot on UFC Injury Leaderboard, Pulls Out of May 18th Bout Against Hacran Dias


(…and from the looks of him, he might have food-poisoning as well. Photo via FightDay/UFC)

From Vitor Belfort to Paul Taylor to Sean Sherk to James Irvin, we’ve seen our share of injury-cursed UFC fighters over the years — and now it’s time to add one more name to this dubious list. It was announced yesterday that Manny Gamburyan has suffered an undisclosed training injury and will not be able to face Hacran Dias at UFC on FX 8 (May 18th; Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil). This marks the fourth fight that Gamburyan has had to pull out of since returning to the UFC in 2011. A quick recap…

– Following the WEC’s merger with the UFC, Gamburyan was scheduled to face Raphael Assuncao at UFC 128 in March 2011, but was forced out of the match with a back injury.

– Gamburyan was scheduled to face Diego Nunes at UFC 135 in September 2011, but was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury.


(…and from the looks of him, he might have food-poisoning as well. Photo via FightDay/UFC)

From Vitor Belfort to Paul Taylor to Sean Sherk to James Irvin, we’ve seen our share of injury-cursed UFC fighters over the years — and now it’s time to add one more name to this dubious list. It was announced yesterday that Manny Gamburyan has suffered an undisclosed training injury and will not be able to face Hacran Dias at UFC on FX 8 (May 18th; Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil). This marks the fourth fight that Gamburyan has had to pull out of since returning to the UFC in 2011. A quick recap…

– Following the WEC’s merger with the UFC, Gamburyan was scheduled to face Raphael Assuncao at UFC 128 in March 2011, but was forced out of the match with a back injury.

– Gamburyan was scheduled to face Diego Nunes at UFC 135 in September 2011, but was forced to withdraw due to a shoulder injury.

– Gamburyan was scheduled to face Chad Mendes at UFC 157 last month, but had to withdraw due to a thumb injury.

And keep in mind, Gamburyan’s quest to become the winner of TUF 5 in 2007 ended suddenly when he suffered a shoulder injury during his fight with Nate Diaz. I think it’s safe to say that Manny’s general practitioner knows who he is, bro.

Gamburyan will be replaced at UFC on FX 8 by Nik Lentz, who is 2-0 since dropping to featherweight, and most recently took a unanimous decision over Diego Nunes at UFC on FX: Belfort vs. Bisping.

Four Fights in the Works for the UFC’s Return to Brazil on January 19th


(P-p-please, Ben! Don’t knock me out! You’re making a big mistake!)

Although none of the bouts have been officially confirmed by the UFC as of this writing, it looks like the UFC will be sticking with their time-tested method of stacking its foreign cards with local fighters, as Brazilian’s Gabriel Gonzaga, Diego Nunes, Milton Viera, and Iuri Alcantara have been booked to face Ben Rothwell, Nik Lentz, Godofredo Castro, and Johnny Eduardo, respectively, at an unnamed event scheduled for Janurary 19th in Brazil.

Rothwell vs. Gonzaga is probably the biggest fight out of the four that us non-Brazilians can get excited about. Both men are big heavyweights who aren’t afraid to throw leather and have knockout power when they choose to do so. Although Gonzaga has relied heavily upon his grappling base (and rightfully so) since un-retiring and returning to the UFC, it’s only a matter of time before we see “Napao” revert to the whimsically hopeful striker that we came to know and love in his victories over Mirko Cro Cop and Chris Tuschsererererer’s balls and his losses to Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos. Speaking of dos Santos, Gonzaga was scheduled to square off against Geronimo dos Santos at UFC 153, but the bout was cancelled when “Mondragon” failed his medical exam due to Hepatitis B (Author’s note: Brazilian prostitutes, they’ll get you every time.). Rothwell, on the other hand, recently saved his UFC career by knocking out Brendan Schaub in hilarious fashion at UFC 145.


(P-p-please, Ben! Don’t knock me out! You’re making a big mistake!)

Although none of the bouts have been officially confirmed by the UFC as of this writing, it looks like the UFC will be sticking with their time-tested method of stacking its foreign cards with local fighters, as Brazilian’s Gabriel Gonzaga, Diego Nunes, Milton Viera, and Iuri Alcantara have been booked to face Ben Rothwell, Nik Lentz, Godofredo Castro, and Johnny Eduardo, respectively, at an unnamed event scheduled for Janurary 19th in Brazil.

Rothwell vs. Gonzaga is probably the biggest fight out of the four that us non-Brazilians can get excited about. Both men are big heavyweights who aren’t afraid to throw leather and have knockout power when they choose to do so. Although Gonzaga has relied heavily upon his grappling base (and rightfully so) since un-retiring and returning to the UFC, it’s only a matter of time before we see “Napao” revert to the whimsically hopeful striker that we came to know and love in his victories over Mirko Cro Cop and Chris Tuschsererererer’s balls and his losses to Shane Carwin and Junior dos Santos. Speaking of dos Santos, Gonzaga was scheduled to square off against Geronimo dos Santos at UFC 153, but the bout was cancelled when “Mondragon” failed his medical exam due to Hepatitis B (Author’s note: Brazilian prostitutes, they’ll get you every time.). Rothwell, on the other hand, recently saved his UFC career by knocking out Brendan Schaub in hilarious fashion at UFC 145.

Also in the works for January 19th is a featherweight clash between Nik Lentz and Diego Nunes. Following a pair of losses at lightweight to Mark Bocek and Evan Dunham (the latter of which was one HELL of a fight), Lentz recently made the cut to 145, where he picked up a first round TKO victory over Eiji Mitsuoka at UFC 150. Nunes was also able to bounce back in the win column in his last fight when he defeated Bart Palaszewski via unanimous one-sided ass whooping at UFC on FX 5.

You might not recognize any of the names booked in the other two matchups, being that most of them last participated — or made their UFC debut, in some cases — at UFC 147 a.k.a the TUF Brazil Finale. Strikeforce veteran Milton Viera fought to a draw that night, whereas Iuri Alcantara was bested by Hacran Dias, another name I have no clue of but will just assume for the time being that he was on TUF Brazil as well. Ditto for this Godofredo Castro feller.

I have, however, heard of Johnny Eduardo, who is expected to face Alcantara at the same event. He’s currently 1-1 in the UFC and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jeff Curran at UFC on FUEL 3.

I know, try to hold back your excitement.

–J. Jones

Falling Action: Best and Worst of UFC on FOX 2

Filed under:

Rashad Evans vs. Phil DavisUFC on FOX 2 didn’t exactly hypnotize the network TV audience with thrilling MMA action on Saturday night, and maybe that’s okay. Maybe the UFC doesn’t need every FOX fight to be a shootout. Maybe both the network and the viewers need to know that sometimes you get a first-round knockout, and other times you get an hour’s worth of slow grinds — especially when five of your six main card fighters are grappling specialists.

For better or worse, both FOX and the UFC learned that lesson in Chicago this weekend. Now that the dust has settled, it’s time for a look at the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.

Biggest Winner: Rashad Evans
Okay, so it wasn’t the most entertaining fight. It was, in fact, about as entertaining as a bowl of oatmeal. Regardless, Evans took on an undefeated former national champion wrestler and shut him out on the scorecards. He was better than Davis everywhere — on the feet, on the mat, and between the ears. In short, Evans took on the next big thing and made him look like a man who was just glad to get out of there and go home by the end. With the win, he earned a title shot (again), and probably also some haters (again). If you weren’t an Evans fan before this fight, chances are you still aren’t. Chances are you hope Jon Jones will crush him when they meet to finally, hopefully end this rivalry, and chances are that Evans is just fine with that. The “Suga” we saw on Saturday night was one who seemed, perhaps for the first time, comfortable with his role as a methodical spoiler of prospects and deflater of hype. He has the patience of a glacier and is almost as difficult to move once he gets on top of you. Fans won’t ever love him for that, which is fine. As long he can live with it, he doesn’t need anyone’s permission to keep doing what he does best.

Biggest Loser: Demian Maia
Toward the end of Maia’s wheezing effort against Chris Weidman, Joe Rogan compared the fighters to two drunks brawling outside a bar. I disagree. Drunks have better game plans. While I can appreciate all the time Maia has put into developing a striking game, it’s still not a great one. It’s predictable, not terribly threatening, and, worst of all, it distracts him from his true strengths. Remember when Maia was the one-dimensional jiu-jitsu fighter who at least knew he was one-dimensional? He’d look for the takedown and the submission as if he had no other choice. He’d pull half-guard and actually make it work. Much like Rousimar Palhares with his leg locks, people knew what Maia was going to do and they still couldn’t stop him. Now they don’t need to. By ignoring the ground game in favor of a mediocre striking attack, he’s stopped himself. To make matters worse, he also quickly ran out of steam against Weidman, who at least had the short-notice element as an excuse for poor cardio. Maia? He had no excuse. If he keeps this up, he won’t have much of a future either.


Least Impressive in Victory: Mike Russow
After grinding out a decision over John Olav Einemo that was the very definition of ‘lay-and-pray,’ Russow said, “I can’t believe I’m 4-0 in the UFC right now.” That makes two of us. I suppose he did what he had to do to get his hand raised in front of the hometown crowd, but he sure didn’t do anything extra. If his plan was to take Einemo down, hold him there, and stay out of submissions, then mission accomplished. If it was to convince the UFC that he’s a heavyweight worth getting behind, then sorry, there’s still some work to do.

Most Impressive in Defeat: Michael Bisping
Bisping proved more by losing a narrow decision than Sonnen proved by beating him that way. In part that’s because Bisping came in as a 3-1 underdog. No one expected him to stay on his feet long enough to do much of anything, and yet he ended up controlling many of the clinches and even took Sonnen down once. Sonnen pursued more or less the exact same game plan against Bisping as he used against opponents like Nate Marquardt and Brian Stann, and Bisping stood up to it better than either of them. Not bad for a Brit who supposedly has no wrestling skills. Bisping will probably spend the next three decades of his life talking about how he got screwed out of that decision. This time you can’t really blame him. The third round was the only one he clearly lost, and the first two could have easily gone his way. To the people who still stubbornly insist on maintaining the conventional wisdom that Bisping is no good, or that he succeeds only because the UFC feeds him hand-picked opponents, it must have been uncomfortable to sit there and wait for the decision, knowing that Bisping could have very easily been declared the UFC’s top middleweight contender. Unfortunately for him (or maybe fortunately, depending on what you think about his chances against Anderson Silva), it wasn’t to be. But by taking the best Sonnen had and giving it right back to him, Bisping showed once and for all that he deserves to be taken seriously. You don’t have to like the guy, but you ought to respect his skills.

Back to the Drawing Board: Phil Davis
Any time the announcers start talking about what a great learning experience this is for you while the fight is still going on, that’s a bad sign. It’s not that Davis performed badly. Clearly, the man has some skills. He just doesn’t have all the skills necessary to be a top light heavyweight in the UFC, or at least not yet. His striking still seems largely perfunctory and his takedowns aren’t fooling anybody. That’s fine against a lower caliber of opponent, who Davis can muscle to the mat even when they know what’s coming, but it’s not going to work against the cream of the 205-pound crop. But let’s not freak out here. That was just Davis’ tenth pro fight. One hopes that he really did learn something from five unpleasant rounds with Evans, and at 27 years old he still has plenty of time to make the most of those lessons. That’s the trouble with being undefeated: it can be hard to know what you need to be spending time on in the gym, since no one has been able to make you pay for any of your mistakes. Now he knows. Of course, so does everyone else in the division.

The Carpe Diem Award for Day-Seizing Excellence: Chris Weidman
A lot of UFC middleweights might have declined the offer to drop 32 pounds in less than two weeks and fight a guy like Maia on network TV. But Weidman saw an opportunity to go from the prelims to the spotlight, and he made the most of it. The fight wasn’t exactly a thriller, and by the end of it both guys were huffing and puffing like New Year’s resolutioners after their first day at a gym in eight years, but hey, at least Weidman had a good excuse. Given his situation, any win would have been a good win. He might not have dazzled new viewers, but he answered the call and got his hand raised. Some nights that’s enough.

Most Surprising: Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz
It’s not the result so much as the method. Who would have guessed, back when he was taking heat for winning fights via wall-and-stall, that Lentz would have two Fight of the Night bonuses in his last three trips inside the Octagon? Certainly not anyone who saw his decision wins over Andre Winner or Tyson Griffin. And yet, now that Lentz has hid the roughest stretch of his pro career, suddenly he’s raking in the bonuses. Too bad he had to do so on the losing end, thanks to Dunham. At least this loss is better for Lentz’s bank account than the defeat via smothering that he suffered at the hands of Mark Bocek in his last outing. Then again, this one wasn’t nearly so kind to his face.

Least Improved: FOX Broadcast
This event didn’t feature a frantic Dana White shouting into the camera, but it did include a slightly bewildered Curt Menefee and a light heavyweight champ who was a little too dependent on his notes. The combination made every cut-away to the boys at the desk an awkward little experiment in live TV, while down on the floor Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg reminded us that, yes, it does pay to have a couple guys who have done this before. In fact, whenever the broadcast abandoned the stilted FOX Sports feel and gave way to the regular old UFC routine, that’s when it felt smooth and comfortable. It’s almost as if the UFC has got this stuff down to a science, and all FOX needs to do is get out of the way.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under:

Rashad Evans vs. Phil DavisUFC on FOX 2 didn’t exactly hypnotize the network TV audience with thrilling MMA action on Saturday night, and maybe that’s okay. Maybe the UFC doesn’t need every FOX fight to be a shootout. Maybe both the network and the viewers need to know that sometimes you get a first-round knockout, and other times you get an hour’s worth of slow grinds — especially when five of your six main card fighters are grappling specialists.

For better or worse, both FOX and the UFC learned that lesson in Chicago this weekend. Now that the dust has settled, it’s time for a look at the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.

Biggest Winner: Rashad Evans
Okay, so it wasn’t the most entertaining fight. It was, in fact, about as entertaining as a bowl of oatmeal. Regardless, Evans took on an undefeated former national champion wrestler and shut him out on the scorecards. He was better than Davis everywhere — on the feet, on the mat, and between the ears. In short, Evans took on the next big thing and made him look like a man who was just glad to get out of there and go home by the end. With the win, he earned a title shot (again), and probably also some haters (again). If you weren’t an Evans fan before this fight, chances are you still aren’t. Chances are you hope Jon Jones will crush him when they meet to finally, hopefully end this rivalry, and chances are that Evans is just fine with that. The “Suga” we saw on Saturday night was one who seemed, perhaps for the first time, comfortable with his role as a methodical spoiler of prospects and deflater of hype. He has the patience of a glacier and is almost as difficult to move once he gets on top of you. Fans won’t ever love him for that, which is fine. As long he can live with it, he doesn’t need anyone’s permission to keep doing what he does best.

Biggest Loser: Demian Maia
Toward the end of Maia’s wheezing effort against Chris Weidman, Joe Rogan compared the fighters to two drunks brawling outside a bar. I disagree. Drunks have better game plans. While I can appreciate all the time Maia has put into developing a striking game, it’s still not a great one. It’s predictable, not terribly threatening, and, worst of all, it distracts him from his true strengths. Remember when Maia was the one-dimensional jiu-jitsu fighter who at least knew he was one-dimensional? He’d look for the takedown and the submission as if he had no other choice. He’d pull half-guard and actually make it work. Much like Rousimar Palhares with his leg locks, people knew what Maia was going to do and they still couldn’t stop him. Now they don’t need to. By ignoring the ground game in favor of a mediocre striking attack, he’s stopped himself. To make matters worse, he also quickly ran out of steam against Weidman, who at least had the short-notice element as an excuse for poor cardio. Maia? He had no excuse. If he keeps this up, he won’t have much of a future either.


Least Impressive in Victory: Mike Russow
After grinding out a decision over John Olav Einemo that was the very definition of ‘lay-and-pray,’ Russow said, “I can’t believe I’m 4-0 in the UFC right now.” That makes two of us. I suppose he did what he had to do to get his hand raised in front of the hometown crowd, but he sure didn’t do anything extra. If his plan was to take Einemo down, hold him there, and stay out of submissions, then mission accomplished. If it was to convince the UFC that he’s a heavyweight worth getting behind, then sorry, there’s still some work to do.

Most Impressive in Defeat: Michael Bisping
Bisping proved more by losing a narrow decision than Sonnen proved by beating him that way. In part that’s because Bisping came in as a 3-1 underdog. No one expected him to stay on his feet long enough to do much of anything, and yet he ended up controlling many of the clinches and even took Sonnen down once. Sonnen pursued more or less the exact same game plan against Bisping as he used against opponents like Nate Marquardt and Brian Stann, and Bisping stood up to it better than either of them. Not bad for a Brit who supposedly has no wrestling skills. Bisping will probably spend the next three decades of his life talking about how he got screwed out of that decision. This time you can’t really blame him. The third round was the only one he clearly lost, and the first two could have easily gone his way. To the people who still stubbornly insist on maintaining the conventional wisdom that Bisping is no good, or that he succeeds only because the UFC feeds him hand-picked opponents, it must have been uncomfortable to sit there and wait for the decision, knowing that Bisping could have very easily been declared the UFC’s top middleweight contender. Unfortunately for him (or maybe fortunately, depending on what you think about his chances against Anderson Silva), it wasn’t to be. But by taking the best Sonnen had and giving it right back to him, Bisping showed once and for all that he deserves to be taken seriously. You don’t have to like the guy, but you ought to respect his skills.

Back to the Drawing Board: Phil Davis
Any time the announcers start talking about what a great learning experience this is for you while the fight is still going on, that’s a bad sign. It’s not that Davis performed badly. Clearly, the man has some skills. He just doesn’t have all the skills necessary to be a top light heavyweight in the UFC, or at least not yet. His striking still seems largely perfunctory and his takedowns aren’t fooling anybody. That’s fine against a lower caliber of opponent, who Davis can muscle to the mat even when they know what’s coming, but it’s not going to work against the cream of the 205-pound crop. But let’s not freak out here. That was just Davis’ tenth pro fight. One hopes that he really did learn something from five unpleasant rounds with Evans, and at 27 years old he still has plenty of time to make the most of those lessons. That’s the trouble with being undefeated: it can be hard to know what you need to be spending time on in the gym, since no one has been able to make you pay for any of your mistakes. Now he knows. Of course, so does everyone else in the division.

The Carpe Diem Award for Day-Seizing Excellence: Chris Weidman
A lot of UFC middleweights might have declined the offer to drop 32 pounds in less than two weeks and fight a guy like Maia on network TV. But Weidman saw an opportunity to go from the prelims to the spotlight, and he made the most of it. The fight wasn’t exactly a thriller, and by the end of it both guys were huffing and puffing like New Year’s resolutioners after their first day at a gym in eight years, but hey, at least Weidman had a good excuse. Given his situation, any win would have been a good win. He might not have dazzled new viewers, but he answered the call and got his hand raised. Some nights that’s enough.

Most Surprising: Evan Dunham vs. Nik Lentz
It’s not the result so much as the method. Who would have guessed, back when he was taking heat for winning fights via wall-and-stall, that Lentz would have two Fight of the Night bonuses in his last three trips inside the Octagon? Certainly not anyone who saw his decision wins over Andre Winner or Tyson Griffin. And yet, now that Lentz has hid the roughest stretch of his pro career, suddenly he’s raking in the bonuses. Too bad he had to do so on the losing end, thanks to Dunham. At least this loss is better for Lentz’s bank account than the defeat via smothering that he suffered at the hands of Mark Bocek in his last outing. Then again, this one wasn’t nearly so kind to his face.

Least Improved: FOX Broadcast
This event didn’t feature a frantic Dana White shouting into the camera, but it did include a slightly bewildered Curt Menefee and a light heavyweight champ who was a little too dependent on his notes. The combination made every cut-away to the boys at the desk an awkward little experiment in live TV, while down on the floor Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg reminded us that, yes, it does pay to have a couple guys who have done this before. In fact, whenever the broadcast abandoned the stilted FOX Sports feel and gave way to the regular old UFC routine, that’s when it felt smooth and comfortable. It’s almost as if the UFC has got this stuff down to a science, and all FOX needs to do is get out of the way.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

GIF Party: ‘UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis’ edition


Swanson vs. Roop provided an early candidate for Side-Punchface of the Year. Props: UFC.com

Remember how last night, you invited your non-MMA fan friends over to introduce them to our sport? You spent the past week talking about how Chael Sonnen is one of the best trash talkers in professional sports, and how technical and talented these fighters were. You figured that after three fights that were guaranteed to be exceptional, your friends would be won over to MMA fandom. Then you’d continue to drink and be merry all night, and we’d all meet up here today for our traditional post-UFC event GIF party where we all high five over how awesome the fights were.

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. Instead, you found yourself doing damage control as you watched three fights worth of sloppy brawling, wall and stall and Chael Sonnen’s blatant swaggerjacking of homage to “Superstar” Billy Graham. You tried to convince them that the fights are usually nothing like this, and that these guys gassing out and the end of the first round are world class athletes. Eventually, one of your friends said “I bet Pacquiao would destroy ANY of these guys” as the rest of your friends grabbed their coats and said they’d call you next time they wanted to watch the fights.

Okay, so last night sucked. But we’ve been planning this party all week, and we’ll be damned if we cancel it at this point. So grab an alcoholic beverage, put on your gaudiest Affliction shirt and join us for our traditional post-UFC event GIF Party.

As always, praise be to Zombie Prophet at IronForgesIron.com for the GIFS.


Swanson vs. Roop provided an early candidate for Side-Punchface of the Year. Props: UFC.com

Remember how last night, you invited your non-MMA fan friends over to introduce them to our sport? You spent the past week talking about how Chael Sonnen is one of the best trash talkers in professional sports, and how technical and talented these fighters were. You figured that after three fights that were guaranteed to be exceptional, your friends would be won over to MMA fandom. Then you’d continue to drink and be merry all night, and we’d all meet up here today for our traditional post-UFC event GIF party where we all high five over how awesome the fights were. 

Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. Instead, you found yourself doing damage control as you watched three fights worth of sloppy brawling, wall and stall and Chael Sonnen’s blatant swaggerjacking of homage to “Superstar” Billy Graham. You tried to convince them that the fights are usually nothing like this, and that these fighters gassing out and the end of the first round are world class athletes. Eventually, one of your friends said “I bet Pacquiao would destroy ANY of these guys” as the rest of your friends grabbed their coats and promised they’d call you next time they wanted to watch the fights.

Okay, so last night sucked. But we’ve been planning this party all week, and we’ll be damned if we cancel it at this point. So grab an alcoholic beverage, put on your gaudiest Affliction shirt and join us for our traditional post-UFC event GIF Party.

As always, praise be to Zombie Prophet at IronForgesIron.com for the GIFS.  

Joey Beltran vs. Lavar Johnson

Michael Johnson vs. Shane Roller

Charles Oliveira vs. Eric Wisely

 

Post-Fight Thoughts After UFC on FOX 2

Filed under:

The sky is not falling.

The doomsdayers always seem to panic whenever a UFC show does not produce a series of heart-racing moments, and UFC on FOX 2 certainly fell a little flat, leading to heavy criticism and downright concern about the future of the FOX deal.

Relax. FOX is well aware that some fights are going to blow you away, and others will make you want to walk away. That’s sports. They didn’t lock in a seven-year deal with the thought of divorcing after their first official show under the terms of the deal. This is still a new sports property for them, and there is plenty of room to grow for both sides.

Adjustments will be made, and fights will deliver.

Remember, we have Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller on tap for UFC on FOX 3 in May. There’s no way that fight doesn’t deliver.


Until then, here are my thoughts on storylines stemming from the UFC’s second outing on network TV…

Historic Run
Jon Jones had a banner 2011, capturing the title and finishing all four of his fights. The virtuoso performance led many to wonder what he could possibly do for an encore, and now we have our answer. Jones has Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson waiting to fight him.

Think about this: Jones has the possibility of going through Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Evans and Henderson consecutively. If he accomplishes it, it would no doubt be the most impressive five-fight run in MMA history.

And let it be said, giving Evans the first shot at Jones before Henderson is the right call. Evans has been the No. 1 contender in waiting for about 18 months, since beating Jackson back in May 2010. He’s waited long enough. Even though Henderson is 41 years old and has less time remaining in his career than Evans, he wasn’t even in the UFC when Evans became the top contender. He was still in Strikeforce at the time.

Henderson should certainly get the chance to fight the Evans-Jones winner, but given the UFC schedule, he’ll likely be offered another fight before it.

Stepping Back
It’s safe to say that Phil Davis wasn’t quite ready for the jump up to elite opponent level, struggling in a decision loss to Evans. Davis remains a wildly gifted talent, but seems to lack conviction in some of his own abilities. He didn’t fully commit to his punches, often moving backward as he threw, and that allowed Evans to fire off his own strikes with little to fear.

Davis does throw strong kicks, but until he learns to let his hands go — a skill that will complement his wrestling — he won’t reach his optimum potential.

Sonnen-Silva II
Chael Sonnen had some trouble with Michael Bisping on the way to a unanimous decision that will set up a rematch with Anderson Silva, likely this summer in Brazil. The less-than-stellar performance sent his stock downward in the eyes of many, who suggest that it will somehow carry over into his fight with Silva.

There’s no correlation between the two fights. Bisping has always boasted very good takedown defense and even when he’s gotten taken down, he tends to pop back up to his feet quickly. Silva’s takedown defense is average, and when he gets taken down, he looks for submissions instead of trying to get to his feet. Sonnen is much more likely to take him down and keep him down for long stretches, just like the first fight, mainly because Silva is often content to work from his back, where he’s dangerous.

That said, the rematch — like the original — is likely to come down to whether Sonnen can stay away from a fight-ending submission.

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-145874%

MiddleMan
For a long time, I have asked, where is the next great middleweight? In a story from last year, I suggested Chris Weidman could be that man.

On Saturday, Weidman defeated Maia in a workmanlike decision. While he didn’t steal the headlines away from Evans or Sonnen, Weidman’s win on 11 days’ notice sends the message that he’s a force to be reckoned with. He had to cut from 217 to 185. He was faced with fighting a southpaw. His opponent was one of MMA‘s submission masters. Weidman conquered all these obstacles in his path, and that says plenty about his mental and physical makeup.

Weidman has shown advancing striking skills to go with his excellent wrestling and ground game. Barring an injury, there’s no question that he’ll be knocking on the door of top contenders in the division ASAP.

Another first
Charles Oliveira made his featherweight debut memorable, becoming the first UFC fighter in history to score a calf slicer submission. Oliveira is an aggressive, attacking offensive fighter, so it’s no surprise that he’d pull off something so bold and rare. Now it’s worth watching to see if he becomes a real factor in the division.

Damned if you do…
Nik Lentz used to receive a ton of criticism for fighting conservatively, but the approach led to a 15-fight unbeaten stretch from 2007-2011. The constant slams from fans and media caused Lentz to reconsider his approach, and his more wide open style has led to two losses in a row. The upside: he earned a $65,000 bonus for Fight of the Night. The downside: he’s now officially on the cut watch list.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Filed under:

The sky is not falling.

The doomsdayers always seem to panic whenever a UFC show does not produce a series of heart-racing moments, and UFC on FOX 2 certainly fell a little flat, leading to heavy criticism and downright concern about the future of the FOX deal.

Relax. FOX is well aware that some fights are going to blow you away, and others will make you want to walk away. That’s sports. They didn’t lock in a seven-year deal with the thought of divorcing after their first official show under the terms of the deal. This is still a new sports property for them, and there is plenty of room to grow for both sides.

Adjustments will be made, and fights will deliver.

Remember, we have Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller on tap for UFC on FOX 3 in May. There’s no way that fight doesn’t deliver.


Until then, here are my thoughts on storylines stemming from the UFC’s second outing on network TV…

Historic Run
Jon Jones had a banner 2011, capturing the title and finishing all four of his fights. The virtuoso performance led many to wonder what he could possibly do for an encore, and now we have our answer. Jones has Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson waiting to fight him.

Think about this: Jones has the possibility of going through Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Lyoto Machida, Evans and Henderson consecutively. If he accomplishes it, it would no doubt be the most impressive five-fight run in MMA history.

And let it be said, giving Evans the first shot at Jones before Henderson is the right call. Evans has been the No. 1 contender in waiting for about 18 months, since beating Jackson back in May 2010. He’s waited long enough. Even though Henderson is 41 years old and has less time remaining in his career than Evans, he wasn’t even in the UFC when Evans became the top contender. He was still in Strikeforce at the time.

Henderson should certainly get the chance to fight the Evans-Jones winner, but given the UFC schedule, he’ll likely be offered another fight before it.

Stepping Back
It’s safe to say that Phil Davis wasn’t quite ready for the jump up to elite opponent level, struggling in a decision loss to Evans. Davis remains a wildly gifted talent, but seems to lack conviction in some of his own abilities. He didn’t fully commit to his punches, often moving backward as he threw, and that allowed Evans to fire off his own strikes with little to fear.

Davis does throw strong kicks, but until he learns to let his hands go — a skill that will complement his wrestling — he won’t reach his optimum potential.

Sonnen-Silva II
Chael Sonnen had some trouble with Michael Bisping on the way to a unanimous decision that will set up a rematch with Anderson Silva, likely this summer in Brazil. The less-than-stellar performance sent his stock downward in the eyes of many, who suggest that it will somehow carry over into his fight with Silva.

There’s no correlation between the two fights. Bisping has always boasted very good takedown defense and even when he’s gotten taken down, he tends to pop back up to his feet quickly. Silva’s takedown defense is average, and when he gets taken down, he looks for submissions instead of trying to get to his feet. Sonnen is much more likely to take him down and keep him down for long stretches, just like the first fight, mainly because Silva is often content to work from his back, where he’s dangerous.

That said, the rematch — like the original — is likely to come down to whether Sonnen can stay away from a fight-ending submission.

%VIRTUAL-Gallery-145874%

MiddleMan
For a long time, I have asked, where is the next great middleweight? In a story from last year, I suggested Chris Weidman could be that man.

On Saturday, Weidman defeated Maia in a workmanlike decision. While he didn’t steal the headlines away from Evans or Sonnen, Weidman’s win on 11 days’ notice sends the message that he’s a force to be reckoned with. He had to cut from 217 to 185. He was faced with fighting a southpaw. His opponent was one of MMA‘s submission masters. Weidman conquered all these obstacles in his path, and that says plenty about his mental and physical makeup.

Weidman has shown advancing striking skills to go with his excellent wrestling and ground game. Barring an injury, there’s no question that he’ll be knocking on the door of top contenders in the division ASAP.

Another first
Charles Oliveira made his featherweight debut memorable, becoming the first UFC fighter in history to score a calf slicer submission. Oliveira is an aggressive, attacking offensive fighter, so it’s no surprise that he’d pull off something so bold and rare. Now it’s worth watching to see if he becomes a real factor in the division.

Damned if you do…
Nik Lentz used to receive a ton of criticism for fighting conservatively, but the approach led to a 15-fight unbeaten stretch from 2007-2011. The constant slams from fans and media caused Lentz to reconsider his approach, and his more wide open style has led to two losses in a row. The upside: he earned a $65,000 bonus for Fight of the Night. The downside: he’s now officially on the cut watch list.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments