So UFC 210 is just days away and despite a card filled with many unfamiliar faces, there are two veterans of the game smack in the middle of the main card as former middleweight title challenger Patrick Cote faces off against former welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves. Both men have seen brighter days during their mixed martial arts careers and despite some tough losses in their recent outings, are still two dangerous welterweights.
So UFC 210 is just days away and despite a card filled with many unfamiliar faces, there are two veterans of the game smack in the middle of the main card as former middleweight title challenger Patrick Cote faces off against former welterweight title challenger Thiago Alves. Both men have seen brighter days during their mixed martial arts careers and despite some tough losses in their recent outings, are still two dangerous welterweights.
Patrick Cote has had a reputation for two things: being extremely durable and hitting like a mack truck. Both qualities can be supremely beneficial for a fighter, but when mixed together in one package can spell doom. Why do I say that? Well, if you consider the fact that you know you have a durable chin and bricks for hands, the likelihood that you’re willing to wade through the fire to land one good shot rises exponentially. It’s not a proven science, but all you need to do is to watch the fall of Chuck Liddell and understand how dangerous the combination can be. That said, Patrick Cote has chosen to round out his game as he’s gotten older. Rather than relying on power punches to win fights, Cote now utilizes his jab more often as a range finder as well as with some pop. He also uses his wrestling pretty effectively and will do well to use that tool in this fight. Sure, he could possibly win in a striking battle against Alves if he’s on his game, but why risk that when you can at least make the Brazilian striker hesitant on the feet. If a clean takedown isn’t available then Cote is better off pushing the smaller Alves against the fence and smothering his offense.
On the flip side, Thiago Alves may not be starching opponents as he once did, but he’s managed to keep the dream alive with some competitive performances against Jim Miller and Carlos Condit. Alves isn’t using his kicking game as much as he used to, but when he does, his opponents would do well to get out of dodge at all costs (just ask Jordan Mein). Alves’ game is no longer as aggressive as it once was, choosing rather to wait on counter opportunities more often. The days of flying knees and blindingly fast low kicks seem to be in the past. That said, Alves should be using his longest weapons in this fight. He’s the smaller man in this fight in general size and height. To get inside and rattle off striking combinations he’ll want to blast low kicks into his opponent’s thighs to land damage, take away power from Cote’s punches, and get the bigger man slowing down where Alves can use his superior speed to his advantage. His takedown defense has always been sharp, but if he isn’t mindful he could fall prey to Cote who could use a takedown attempt to push Alves against the cage.
This fight should be a pretty exciting one. I wonder if this is a win or go home kind of match, which is unfortunate as both fighters are still pretty highly skilled.
Who do you think wins at UFC 210?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
If you told me this time last year that Michael Bisping would be the UFC middleweight champion in 2016 I would have laughed in your face. Not that I thought Bisping was unskilled or not capable, simply that the odds weren’t in his favor. If you had said Dan Henderson would be contending for that same middleweight title in the same stretch of time I would have calmly taken a step back and, once at a safe enough distance, asked if you were off your meds. But that’s the beauty of MMA. There’s no script, nothing that is set in stone.
If you told me this time last year that Michael Bisping would be the UFC middleweight champion in 2016 I would have laughed in your face. Not that I thought Bisping was unskilled or not capable, simply that the odds weren’t in his favor. If you had said Dan Henderson would be contending for that same middleweight title in the same stretch of time I would have calmly taken a step back and, once at a safe enough distance, asked if you were off your meds. But that’s the beauty of MMA. There’s no script, nothing that is set in stone. Which is exactly why the match between Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson at UFC 204 is intriguing despite the fact that both men are past their prime, or at least they’re supposed to be.
Michael Bisping has tasted the power in the right hand of Dan Henderson once before and the end result wasn’t a pretty sight. If the first British UFC champion once to remain king of the hill he’ll have to make some fundamental changes to his approach that wasn’t present in his first bout with Henderson. Firstly, Bisping is going to want to circle to his right away from the H-Bomb especially in those first five minutes. Bisping has a good jab that he can use both as a range finder and as a legitimate weapon. Once he finds the perfect distance, Bisping doesn’t hesitate to throw in combination and does so with damn good accuracy. Expect Bisping to dance on the outside and pick Henderson apart at distance.
Old man Dan Henderson is still in the thick of it despite being 46 years of age. But with age comes experience, something that Henderson has a ton of. But that won’t be enough to rely on in this battle against Bisping. Ideally Henderson is going to want to stay in Bisping’s face through the twenty-five minute bout in hopes of landing a big shot. The problem is that Henderson doesn’t have the chin that he used to and he’s going to have to wade through some fire to get to Bisping. In his most recent bouts there seems to be a lack of patience in Henderson’s game. He’s going to have to set up his strikes with a jab and should focus on throwing his heavy artillery to Bisping’s body rather than just head hunting the entire time. If Henderson can beat up Bisping to the body and put some doubt in the champ’s mind then he could likely uncork a devastating right hand up top to close the show.
Dan Henderson certainly has a chance to win in this fight, but it’s a puncher’s chance at best. Look For Michael Bisping to piece up Henderson on the feet before securing a second round TKO.
Do you think Dan Henderson has a shot at making history?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
If you told me this time last year that Michael Bisping would be the UFC middleweight champion in 2016 I would have laughed in your face. Not that I thought Bisping was unskilled or not capable, simply that the odds weren’t in his favor. If you had said Dan Henderson would be contending for that same middleweight title in the same stretch of time I would have calmly taken a step back and, once at a safe enough distance, asked if you were off your meds. But that’s the beauty of MMA. There’s no script, nothing that is set in stone.
If you told me this time last year that Michael Bisping would be the UFC middleweight champion in 2016 I would have laughed in your face. Not that I thought Bisping was unskilled or not capable, simply that the odds weren’t in his favor. If you had said Dan Henderson would be contending for that same middleweight title in the same stretch of time I would have calmly taken a step back and, once at a safe enough distance, asked if you were off your meds. But that’s the beauty of MMA. There’s no script, nothing that is set in stone. Which is exactly why the match between Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson at UFC 204 is intriguing despite the fact that both men are past their prime, or at least they’re supposed to be.
Michael Bisping has tasted the power in the right hand of Dan Henderson once before and the end result wasn’t a pretty sight. If the first British UFC champion once to remain king of the hill he’ll have to make some fundamental changes to his approach that wasn’t present in his first bout with Henderson. Firstly, Bisping is going to want to circle to his right away from the H-Bomb especially in those first five minutes. Bisping has a good jab that he can use both as a range finder and as a legitimate weapon. Once he finds the perfect distance, Bisping doesn’t hesitate to throw in combination and does so with damn good accuracy. Expect Bisping to dance on the outside and pick Henderson apart at distance.
Old man Dan Henderson is still in the thick of it despite being 46 years of age. But with age comes experience, something that Henderson has a ton of. But that won’t be enough to rely on in this battle against Bisping. Ideally Henderson is going to want to stay in Bisping’s face through the twenty-five minute bout in hopes of landing a big shot. The problem is that Henderson doesn’t have the chin that he used to and he’s going to have to wade through some fire to get to Bisping. In his most recent bouts there seems to be a lack of patience in Henderson’s game. He’s going to have to set up his strikes with a jab and should focus on throwing his heavy artillery to Bisping’s body rather than just head hunting the entire time. If Henderson can beat up Bisping to the body and put some doubt in the champ’s mind then he could likely uncork a devastating right hand up top to close the show.
Dan Henderson certainly has a chance to win in this fight, but it’s a puncher’s chance at best. Look For Michael Bisping to piece up Henderson on the feet before securing a second round TKO.
Do you think Dan Henderson has a shot at making history?
Jonathan Salmon is a writer, martial arts instructor, and geek culture enthusiast. Check out his Twitter and Facebook to keep up with his antics.
When Jon Jones was pulled from his UFC 200 headliner against Daniel Cormier yesterday, there were more than a few fighters willing to step up and face the last-second challenge. Michael Bisping, Alexander Gustafsson, Gegard Mousasi…I think Conor McGregor threw his name in there at one point…the point is, it looked as if Cormier was going to get that big payday after all.
One name we didn’t expected to see pop on the list of potential contenders, however, was Anderson Silva. He’s a natural middleweight for starters (though he has moved up to light heavy on a few occasions), and until recently, was expected to face Uriah Hall at UFC 198 until gallbladder surgery forced him out. Then again, UFC 200 is about pulling off all the stops, and with all due respect to the other names on that list, they are GARBAGE PEOPLE when compared to Silva.
So now, following reports from both Globo and TMZ, it looks like Silva vs. Cormier will in fact be going down this weekend after all.
When Jon Jones was pulled from his UFC 200 headliner against Daniel Cormier yesterday, there were more than a few fighters willing to step up and face the last-second challenge. Michael Bisping, Alexander Gustafsson, Gegard Mousasi…I think Conor McGregor threw his name in there at one point…the point is, it looked as if Cormier was going to get that big payday after all.
One name we didn’t expected to see pop on the list of potential contenders, however, was Anderson Silva. He’s a natural middleweight for starters (though he has moved up to light heavy on a few occasions), and until recently, was expected to face Uriah Hall at UFC 198 until gallbladder surgery forced him out. Then again, UFC 200 is about pulling off all the stops, and with all due respect to the other names on that list, they are GARBAGE PEOPLE when compared to Silva.
So now, following reports from both Globo and TMZ, it looks like Silva vs. Cormier will in fact be going down this weekend after all.
According to both reports, which were later confirmed by MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani, the bout will be a three-round, non-title fight. For whatever reason, the addition of this fight has bumped the women’s bantamweight title fight between Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes into the main event slot of the evening, replacing Mark Hunt vs. Brock Lesnar.
It’s hard to say what a win for Cormier will actually mean given Silva’s recent fight history — his last fight was a controversial decision loss to Michael Bisping, and he hasn’t actually won a fight since 2012 — but still, I suppose a win over the former G.O.A.T is still a win over the former G.O.A.T (not to mention, that massive payday). But knowing how this sport operates, it’s more than likely that he will KO Cormier in the first 30 seconds of the fight and we can dive head first into this whole chaotic mess all over again.
One of the best on-paper and most hyped MMA cards in memory is fast approaching, and anticipation is building to a fever pitch. And as everyone raises their hopes for what they wish will be a transcendent celebration of civilized violence at UFC 200 this weekend, we pessimists of this lovely sport start to ready our cringe faces.
But what if we could prepare ourselves for the worst? Soften the 4-ounce-gloved blow to our souls that the MMA gods are sure to deliver in their infinite, cruel, brawlability?
Well, here’s your pre-gut-punch padding, dear readers: a fight-by-fight breakdown of all the ways in which the gourmet chicken salad that is UFC 200 could turn into a total chicken s**t-show.
One of the best on-paper and most hyped MMA cards in memory is fast approaching, and anticipation is building to a fever pitch. And as everyone raises their hopes for what they wish will be a transcendent celebration of civilized violence at UFC 200 this weekend, we pessimists of this lovely sport start to ready our cringe faces.
But what if we could prepare ourselves for the worst? Soften the 4-ounce-gloved blow to our souls that the MMA gods are sure to deliver in their infinite, cruel, brawlability?
Well, here’s your pre-gut-punch padding, dear readers: a fight-by-fight breakdown of all the ways in which the gourmet chicken salad that is UFC 200 could turn into a total chicken s**t-show.
Jim Miller vs. Takanori Gomi
This is supposed to be an exciting match-up between two solidly entertaining fighters, but is also a fight between two fighters who have lost a little too often lately. These two will blast each other for a round, and then both be forced by the doctor to quit, as they’ll both be injured. Double no-contest.
Diego Sanchez vs Joe Lauzon
Ready for three rounds of non-stop action from two of the most thrilling fighters in any UFC division? Well, too bad. A Sanchez leg kick, the first strike he throws, is going to pop Lauzon’s knee and take him out at just 10 seconds of round 1.
Two interesting strikers? Here comes wrestling time! Santos and Mousasi will spend 15 minutes alternately pinning each other to the cage and circling around each other, looking for an opening that never comes. By the end of it all, the entire viewing audience will have the same dead-eyed expression on their faces that Mousasi’s mug features all year long.
Sage Northcutt vs. Enrique Martin
Ok, come on now. I know the MMA gods are cruel, but Northcutt clearly still has an excess of luck dust sprinkled all over his statuesque physique. Having already suffered his one allowable misfortune this year against Bryan Barberena in January, Northcutt’s Vegas weekend is going to be just fine. The three worst things that could happen to him are:
1. He drops his post-weigh-in popsicle, and his dad won’t buy him another.
2. He realizes, with some bit of concern, that people compliment him so much on the ridiculous definition of his abs that they completely miss his perfect teeth.
3. After he easily beats Martin, he only manages to land a triple-corkscrew backflip, as opposed to the quadruple-corkscrew he’s been practicing for just this occasion.
T. J. Dillashaw vs. Raphael Assuncao
Well, this is going to be a bit unfair to Assuncao, who hasn’t fought since late 2014, and who doesn’t seem like a bad dude, but the division has become pretty darn interesting while he was gone, and Dillashaw is one of the reasons why. His newly-revealed striking skills have brought him to the top and made him one of the most fun bantamweights to watch in the cage. By all means, a decisive Dillashaw win will surely put him right back in the running to challenge champ Dominick Cruz, who took his title in a razor-close fight. So the bad outcome of this one is a boring, plodding, but sadly non-controversial decision in Assuncao’s favor, derailing our hopes of seeing a rematch of the UFC Fight Night 81 main event anytime soon.
Johny Hendricks vs. Kelvin Gastelum
First of all, you’re having this fight at welterweight? Yeah, let’s start there: even if this fight doesn’t get cancelled because one of these fighters requires hospitalization due to their bodies being drier than the Nevada desert outside, both of these guys will miss the mark.
In the cage, both men will get tired quickly, as they have both had terrible camps and are nursing injuries. After a slow, boring fight, one of them will win a coin-flip-close split decision.
Cat Zingano vs. Juliana Peña
The last fight of the prelims will feature two of the best women’s bantamweights out there, and it will be ugly. Zingano is known for her ability to survive early and for being very beloved by just about everyone who’s been exposed to her charms. Peña is known for ferociousness on the ground, where she drags opponents and punishes them until the fight is stopped. Combine these two, and you get a sad sight: the MMA world will be forced to watch one of its favorite people get brutalized and bloodied on the ground for nearly three full round, before submitting to aPeña arm-triangle choke.
Cain Velasquez vs. Travis Browne
Come on, you guys already know this one: Travis Browne is totally going to poke Velasquez’s eye early in the fight, not get punished for it, and either force a no-contest when the former champ can’t continue, or later win by doctor-stoppage TKO when Velasquez’s eye swells up.
Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar
This fake – sorry, ‘interim’ – title fight will likely determine who fights Max Holloway for the real title once Conor McGregor finally decides he’d rather risk a beating from bigger guys than dehydrate himself to the point of tattoo-wrinkling ever again. And naturally, since the stakes are so high, this fight will be a cautious affair in which both fighters will mostly try and avoid getting hit, making it the modern-era’s Ken Shamrock vs. Dan Severn 2.
Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes
Again, I feel bad for saying it, but the obvious lame outcome here would have to be a win by Amanda Nunes. First, we thought that Ronda Rousey may headline UFC 200 against Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino after she quickly and easily beats Holly Holm, but that didn’t work out so well. Then, we figured Holm would dominate Tate in their fight, clearing the path for an epic rematch with Rousey in some big PPV, but that didn’t go as planned either. And now that we’re already picturing the fun we could have with Rousey vs. Tate 3 in Madison Square Garden, what more appropriate outcome could there be than Nunes spoiling things by beating Tate and squeezing the last bit of air out of this Rousey-comeback-hype whoopee cushion?
Brock Lesnar vs. Mark Hunt
People are generally psyched about Lesnar coming back simply because he’s a huge star, but what if he actually made a giant, unfathomable leap in ability while he was away?
Imagine this: Brock Lesnar and Mark Hunt exchange in the pocket for a bit, but then Lesnar starts to turn it on, lowering his hands and effortlessly avoiding Hunt’s shots in the manner of a prime Anderson Silva. He starts countering Hunt, and after two or three punches, knocks the Super Samoan down. Lesnar then jumps on Hunt, quickly passing his guard into side control, then mount, then taking his back, making it look as smooth as the likes of Jacare Souza and Demian Maia would. He puts on the rear-naked choke, and Hunt taps. Lesnar then does a step-off-the-cage backflip to top it all off. He’s an unbelievable-looking fighter now, transformed and ready to re-conquer the division, and he hasn’t lost any of his athleticism either.
In his post-fight interview, Lesnar once again alludes to the fact that he may get laid tonight, and puts on a Nike shirt because “Reebok won’t pay him nothing.”
Brock is back, and he’s bigger, better, and more fun than ever before!…
…..And then he returns to the WWE, and never fights in MMA again.
Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones
This main event is a rematch of one of the most meaningful on-paper fights in MMA history. Daniel Cormier and Jon Jones are perhaps the best two light-heavyweight MMA fighters to ever walk the planet, and they’ll be fighting again on July 9th. That is, if DC doesn’t fall to injury once more, through the magic of the most fight-cancelling camp in the game, and if Jones can manage to spend more than a week without physically peeing on a cop’s leg while high on meth after a rave in downtown Santa Fe.
The actual fight will start ok, but will of course soon go bad. Cormier will try a double-leg on Jones against the cage about two minutes into the first round. Jones, while shrugging off the takedown, will start launching a bunch of elbows to the back of Cormier’s head. Jones will be warned for the foul, but will keep doing it. When referee “Big” John McCarthy steps in to separate the two, Jones will launch a kick straight to the still slightly-disoriented DC’s groin, causing him to bend in pain, and spit on him as well. The ref will have no choice but to stop the fight, disqualifying Jones for unsportsmanlike conduct.
In the post-fight interview, Cormier will be met by boos from the crowd, and say that “Jon Jones disqualified himself.” Just to put a cherry on top of this hot fudge suckdae, Cormier will later test positive for PEDs in his fight-night blood and urine samples and be stripped of the title.
Miscellaneous additional problems
– The show will get delayed for about half an hour, because Jim Miller has to pee before his fight, and then he has to wash his hands because “What, would you want some guy rubbing his junk in you face? That’s just impolite.” So they have to cut off his wraps, and then re-wrap his hands.
– The UFC has had several wardrobe malfunctions so far, the latest was suffered by Valerie Letourneau during her fight against Joanne Calderwood. This event features two women’s fights, and one of the four women in them will experience the worst one yet, as her sports bra straight-up tears apart. Her chest will be exposed for several seconds, the fight will be stopped, and everyone will have to scramble to get her a replacement. The fighter will then have to put on the new sports bra while her cornermen do the best they can to cover her up with towels.
– When a journalist asks Dana White whether women in the UFC should perhaps simply be made to wear rash guards, thus preventing this problem, White will say no and rebuke the journalist as a “goof.”
– At least once, the sound system will malfunction during a fighter walkout, causing a high-pitched feedback sound that reverberates through the arena.
– A ring girl (sorry, Octagon girl™) will fall down during one of her walks. She’ll be fine, don’t worry. But she will suffer a scrape on her knee, and the other seven Octagon bikini ladies will have to cover for her for the rest of the night.
– Let’s not forget natural disasters: Vegas is surrounded by a desert, you say? And it’s summer? The MMA god’s may just think it’s time for a hurricane-snow storm combo, with a little bit of earthquake sprinkled in for good measure.
– At least one fighter will be poked in the eye during their walkout by someone trying to grab at them and/or steal their hat. Who the hell wants a Reebok UFC hat anyway? Well, the kind of person who’d steal a hat of a fighter’s head during a walkout, I suppose.
Be prepared, MMA fans. And try to take solace in this one important lesson we’ve learned from following the careers of BJ Penn, Ken Shamrock, and Jason ‘Mayhem’ Miller: things can always get worse.
Following his razor thin split-decision loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 195, it looked as if Carlos Condit might be hanging up his gloves for good. It was his second title fight loss in as many attempts (not counting his interim title win over Nick Diaz), the UFC didn’t appear to have any interest in booking an immediate rematch, and Condit himself had mentioned some concerns about the future of his mental well-being. When looking back on his illustrious 39-fight career, it just didn’t seem as if Condit had anything left to prove, which made his impending decision all the more sensible.
On the other hand, pride. If Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn, and Fedor Emelianenko still believe that they have another title run left in them, then why shouldn’t Condit? A win over any top 10 opponent should put him right back in the running, so really, it’d be foolish for Condit *not* to put his health on the line for one last shot at glory, if you think about it.
Thankfully, it appears that this line of thinking is something that “The Natural Born Killer” can get behind, which is why he’s announced that he will in fact be returning to take on fellow top contender Demian Maia at UFC 202.
Following his razor thin split-decision loss to Robbie Lawler at UFC 195, it looked as if Carlos Condit might be hanging up his gloves for good. It was his second title fight loss in as many attempts (not counting his interim title win over Nick Diaz), the UFC didn’t appear to have any interest in booking an immediate rematch, and Condit himself had mentioned some concerns about the future of his mental well-being. When looking back on his illustrious 39-fight career, it just didn’t seem as if Condit had anything left to prove, which made his impending decision all the more sensible.
On the other hand, pride. If Georges St. Pierre, BJ Penn, and Fedor Emelianenko still believe that they have another title run left in them, then why shouldn’t Condit? A win over any top 10 opponent should put him right back in the running, so really, it’d be foolish for Condit *not* to put his health on the line for one last shot at glory, if you think about it.
Thankfully, it appears that this line of thinking is something that “The Natural Born Killer” can get behind, which is why he’s announced that he will in fact be returning to take on fellow top contender Demian Maia at UFC 202.
Details after the jump.
At 38 years of age, Maia is basically living, breathing proof that the 32-year-old Condit may very well have his best years still ahead of him. The Brazilian grappling specialist is currently riding a six fight win streak including one-sided wins over Matt Brown, Gunnar Nelson, and Neil Magny and seems destined for a title shot himself, which makes a matchup with Condit damn near poetic if you ask me.
Prior to his loss at UFC 195, Condit put the whooping of a lifetime on Thiago Alves en route to a second round TKO finish and should make for a tough style matchup against Maia, with the winner undoubtedly being on the short list of challengers for the welterweight title. That is, unless the current crop of contenders (Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson) find themselves in a Hendricks-Lawler-MacDonald rematch love triangle like we’ve seen before. Which knowing our luck will almost certainly happen, for the MMA Gods are a cruel and unforgiving bunch.
In other welterweight fight booking news, Dong Hyun Kim has agreed to face Neil Magny at UFC 202 in a matchup that will likely earn the winner a chance to get slaughtered by the Condit-Maia winner, the Woodley-Lawler loser, or maybe Johny Hendricks. After seeing his 4-fight win streak halted by “T-Wood” (I’m sorry, “The Chosen One”) back in 2014, Kim bounced back last year with back-to-back wins over Josh Burkman and Dominic Waters. Magny is similarly enjoying a bit of a rebound streak, having scored three straight wins over Erick Silva, Kelvin Gastelum, and Hector Lombard since being dominated by Maia at UFC 190.
Fun fact: Magny has fought 11 times in the past 2 years, which is just two fights shy of what former P4P king Cain velasquez has fought in his entire UFC career.
UFC 202 goes down on August 20th at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
