The UFC returned to Portland with a (sort of) bantamweight showcase that lived up to the hype.
John Lineker met John Dodson in a classic. The two flyweight-turned-bantamweight contenders stood toe-to-toe and hit each other with their best shots. It was…
The UFC returned to Portland with a (sort of) bantamweight showcase that lived up to the hype.
John Lineker met John Dodson in a classic. The two flyweight-turned-bantamweight contenders stood toe-to-toe and hit each other with their best shots. It was an incredible sight to see. In the end, Lineker edged Dodson with a split decision.
The co-main event was a catchweight as well, but it was not as entertaining or forgiving. Alex Oliveira, who came in five pounds overweight, defeated Will Brooks by TKO in the third round. The weight and post-fight antics spoiled any goodwill he may have had.
With those and every other fight on the card the UFC crew has to be hard at work on figuring out what’s next. That’s where we come in.
Welcome, UFC matchmakers. Please, take a seat and gaze into the crystal ball to learn who comes next for the winners and losers of UFC Fight Night 96.
There is no rest for the wicked. As the UFC closes out an action-packed September that featured an event each weekend, the Octagon will return to action Saturday, Oct. 1, for Fight Night 96.
Featured on the fight card is a bantamweight showdown between…
There is no rest for the wicked. As the UFC closes out an action-packed September that featured an event each weekend, the Octagon will return to action Saturday, Oct. 1, for Fight Night 96.
Featured on the fight card is a bantamweight showdown between a couple of fighters who, not so long ago, were flyweight contenders. Both John Dodson and John Lineker have jumped up a weight class in hopes of carving out a title path, but only one will take a leap forward Saturday night.
Since moving to 135 pounds, Lineker has reeled off three impressive wins, running his total win streak to five. Dodson, who joined the promotion as a bantamweight, won in his return to 135 earlier this year.
In the evening’s co-main event, Will Brooks looks to bolster his UFC record to 2-0. The former Bellator champion is set to square off against Alex Oliveira, who has won four of his past five outings.
The full Fight Night 96 main card looks like this:
John Dodson vs. John Lineker
Will Brooks vs. Alex Oliveira
Josh Burkman vs. Zak Ottow
Louis Smolka vs. Brandon Moreno
As always, the Bleacher Report picks team has assembled for the purpose of providing you with our predictions for each bout. It’s Scott Harris, Sydnie Jones, Nathan McCarter, Steven Rondina and Craig Amos coming at you!
Rashad Evans has accomplished a great deal in his UFC career, picking up the light heavyweight strap in the course of 20 fights with the promotion.
The soon-to-be middleweight contender takes on Tim Kennedy at UFC 205 in November in his first bout at 1…
Rashad Evans has accomplished a great deal in his UFC career, picking up the light heavyweight strap in the course of 20 fights with the promotion.
The soon-to-be middleweight contender takes on Tim Kennedy at UFC 205 in November in his first bout at 185 pounds, but before he steps into the cage again, Evans will be working the analyst desk for Fox Sports 1 this weekend as the Octagon heads to Portland, Oregon.
Bleacher Report caught up with Evans to get his thoughts on the main event, which pits former two-time flyweight challenger John Dodson against brick-fisted Brazilian John Lineker in a strong matchup of 135-pound contenders.
Bleacher Report: We have a pretty awesome matchup this weekend with Lineker and Dodson, two knockout artists with much different approaches to putting leather on their opponents. What do you see as the big things to watch for here?
Rashad Evans: The big things with Dodson are going to be his speed and his transitions. One thing that gets away from him is falling in love with that power a little bit too much. But if he can stay with that and just be able to create alternatives, being able to take him [Lineker] down, mix that in with his good movement and his power, then this should be his fight.
But Lineker is really good at getting someone to wade inside that pocket, to brawl in the style that he likes really well. He hits really hard from there. If he catches you one time, his recoil back with his left and his right hand is so blisteringly fast that he catches a lot of people off guard. That power puts everybody to sleep.
B/R: Given that both guys hit really hard, do you think Dodson will be able to resist the urge to exchange with Lineker? Especially because Lineker is a guy who leaves his chin out there, if Dodson tags him with a good left hand, can he stop himself from continuing to throw and causing an exchange that favors Lineker?
Evans: No, I don’t think Dodson’s going to be able to resist. He’ll be able to resist after he catches one of those [Lineker] punches and feels the sting of his power, then he’ll be able to resist. He’ll be able to say, “OK, this guy hits hard.”
He [Dodson] wants to be impressive, he wants to hit the reset button on his career in the 135-pound weight class, so he’s going to go out there and try to put on a show. He’s going to try to go inside where Lineker feels safe, but when he feels that power, he’s going to be smarter.
B/R: So you think takedowns will be a big part of that for Dodson, mixing it up, avoiding the brawl?
Evans: Even if he [Dodson] doesn’t take him down, when you’re trying to work for the takedown you end up closing the distance and putting a lot of pressure on the person. It’s still a threat, and you can get him to lower his level. It brings that threat to his mind so he can’t open up with his striking.
In order for the takedown to work at all, you have to at least land one. If you don’t land one, the opponent will feel like there’s really no threat.
B/R: He has to establish it as a credible threat for Lineker to worry about.
Evans: Correct.
B/R: When Dodson was fighting at 125 pounds, the only person he lost to was Demetrious Johnson, but he slowed down badly in the third, fourth and fifth rounds. Given that Lineker also pushes a fast pace, do you think Dodson’s at risk of gassing, or is that less of a problem with a smaller weight cut?
Evans: I think Demetrious Johnson brings out a different element and a different kind of pace than anybody is used to handling. His transitions from standup to the ground are like nobody’s in all of MMA. I’d put him up there as pound-for-pound the best in that position.
He brings a really good pace, and Dodson tried to match his pace. He tried to keep it exciting; that’s his style. Whenever you do big moves, big combinations, big techniques, it zaps your energy. Johnson was more consistent with that pace and was able to carry it throughout the fight because he doesn’t open up with big techniques or big fancy moves.
When Dodson was going against a guy like that, he found himself fading as the rounds went on, but with Lineker, I don’t think he’ll have that problem. Lineker isn’t as smooth as Johnson, so some of the things that Little John [Dodson] likes to do will catch and stun Lineker, and keep him on cue a bit more.
B/R: That makes a lot of sense, especially because it’s not just the physical pressure that Johnson puts on you, it’s also a kind of a mental pressure. It’s exhausting to have to think through what he’s doing.
Evans: Exactly. And that mental pressure is really draining. Sometimes, when you do a big technique and it doesn’t work, you think, “OK, let me get my breath back again.” You keep your hands up and you move, but when a guy doesn’t look fazed by it and looks like he’s creating something, now you have to get in defensive mode and that really tires you out.
B/R: Both Dodson and Lineker are just ungodly tough guys with crazy chins, but both have huge power. Do you think either can knock the other out or will this go to a decision?
Evans: I think both can knock the other out. Honestly, I think it’s whoever lands that solid shot. Little John [Dodson] has to be really, really careful exchanging inside the pocket, because like I was saying before, Lineker throws that left hand and right hand faster than anybody I’ve ever seen. He throws that left hook, right hook, left hook again at blazing speed.
It comes from his hips, too. If you ever watch an old-school boxer like Sugar Ray Robinson, it comes from his hips, so he can get a lot of torque on his punches. A lot of fighters just don’t see it coming. Once the hands are low like that, it leaves your view when it goes past your hips, and then you don’t see it when it comes back. That’s why Lineker is so effective in the pocket.
It looks like he’s leaving his chin open, but if you don’t catch him, you’ve got problems, you know?
B/R: That’s a really good point about the combination punching, because if we’re comparing the two fighters, Dodson is a burst-fighter. He’ll go 30 seconds, 45 seconds without doing much, trying to pick his spots to throw the right shot.
By contrast, Lineker has that hair trigger. If you leave any sort of opening or opportunity, he’ll exploit it, and that’s especially dangerous in exchanges. If you’re Dodson, how do you exchange with Lineker responsibly?
Evans: Whenever you exchange with Lineker, you’ve got to make sure you’re not in the areas of the cage where he’s really good at letting go with a barrage of punches. That’s on that black line, where you’re five or six feet before you get to the cage, where he’s most dangerous.
As long as Little John [Dodson] can keep it in the center of the cage, Lineker‘s not as dangerous, because even if he does start throwing combinations of punches, then Little John can get out of the way. But if he [Lineker] can get to the cage, there’s nowhere for Dodson to go, and Lineker‘s going to land punches, where he goes left and right.
B/R: That’s a really interesting point, that Dodson’s evasiveness is going to be an issue for Lineker.
Evans: Yeah. In general, he needs to go after Little John [Dodson]. Part of what makes Little John so effective is that he feels good, he’s happy, he’s having fun. You’ve got to make it a miserable fight for him. You’ve got to make him frustrated and mad, you’ve got to make him fight outside of his fight; giving him room is the wrong thing for Lineker to do.
Get him against the cage, wrestle him, just gum up his technique and he’s going to get frustrated. That’s when Lineker can open up a bit. I think the more space you give a fighter like Little John, the more creative he can get, the more free he can be, he’s going to catch you with something really hard because he’s good at that in and out range.
As Evans presents it, the basic dynamics of the fight will be spacing within the cage and whether Dodson can fight a smart, disciplined fight.
Can Lineker force Dodson to the fence, where he’s most effective with his punching combinations, or will Dodson be able to maintain distance and space?
This is a great bantamweight matchup, and we’ll learn how it plays out on Saturday, October 1, in Portland on Fox Sports 1.
The UFC returns to Portland, Oregon, on Saturday for the first time since 2009 with a solid offering on Fox Sports 1.
In the main event, former flyweights John Dodson and John Lineker meet in a strong matchup with implications for the wide-open b…
The UFC returns to Portland, Oregon, on Saturday for the first time since 2009 with a solid offering on Fox Sports 1.
In the main event, former flyweights John Dodson and John Lineker meet in a strong matchup with implications for the wide-open bantamweight title picture. Dodson challenged twice for the title at flyweight but fell short both times against pound-for-pound great Demetrious Johnson. Lineker repeatedly failed to make the weight but has looked like a monster in three fights at 135 pounds.
With champion Dominick Cruz’s next defense still up in the air and a bevy of potential challengers milling around the division, the winner of this fight has a chance of making an impressive statement.
The co-main event is also an excellent matchup. Former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks takes on Brazil’s Alex Oliveira in an intriguing and entertaining fight that should have the winner facing a Top 10 opponent.
The rest of the card, as with most Fox Sports 1 events, has fun but mostly irrelevant fights. There are some promising prospects and good action fights but nothing that specifically demands the viewer’s attention.
If you drill down through the UFC 205 hype, down past the Conor McGregor layer and the New York City layer and the Jose Aldo layer, and if you can see despite the glare of the three title belts that will be on the line that night, you might just find a…
If you drill down through the UFC 205 hype, down past the Conor McGregor layer and the New York City layer and the Jose Aldo layer, and if you can see despite the glare of the three title belts that will be on the line that night, you might just find a pretty interesting UFC card happening this weekend.
What you’ll find is UFC Fight Night 96, going down Saturday from Portland, Oregon. In the main event, John Dodson, one of the hardest-hitting bantamweights on the UFC roster, faces John Lineker, one of the hardest hitters in the entire UFC. The co-main event pits former Bellator lightweight champ Will Brooks in his second UFC contest, this one against aggressive finisher Alex “Cowboy But Not Donald Cerrone Cowboy” Oliveira.
What are the key storylines to follow coming into and out of this event? Here are the top four.
Don’t Blink During the Main Event
Two former flyweights named John. Freaky, I know.
Not enough to pique your interest? I guess that makes one of us. OK, your majesty. How about two former flyweights named John with 22 knockout wins between them fighting for top-contender status? Oh, now you’re happy.
If you’re not familiar with John Lineker, take Saturday to rectify that. With 13 of his 28 pro wins coming directly by knockout and several other wins besides having been set up by his ferocious punches, it’s clear what Lineker (28-7) is in there to do.
But this is far from a one-man show.
After all, this bout probably determines the next challenger in the bantamweight division, and the other John in the equation is a good reason for that.
John Dodson (18-7) is a spectacular and spectacularly skilled athlete. His supercharged hand and foot speed made him one of the best flyweights around, and a 37-second knockout in his return to 135 pounds showed he carried those talents—and his truck-stopping power—back up to bantamweight with him.
A slight betting underdog according to Odds Shark, Dodson may be able to skitter around the perimeter, dancing inside for quick strikes and combinations. At 5’3″ he won’t be able to exploit Lineker’s size, but his fast-twitch is very much on the table.
Is John Lineker a Real Contender?
You may know him as the flyweight who could never make flyweight. The Brazilian missed the division’s 125-pound weight limit on four separate occasions—at one point constituting half his UFC career! Not what you’re looking for.
And yet, through it all there was one saving grace. That would be the remarkable power in his fists. Unless he contracted greyscale, that power must be why they call him “Hands of Stone.”
Thanks to the thunder coiled into that 5’3″ frame, Lineker has earned quite the cult following on social media. This is a chance to transcend that position.
A win over Dodson would be the biggest win of his pro career, in any weight class. But given Dodson’s aforementioned athleticism, Lineker might need to prove he’s more than a head-hunter. Come to think of it, that’s probably kind of the point.
Can Will Brooks Find a Foothold in UFC’s Most Crowded Division?
The 29-year-old Brooks (19-1) made the UFC leap earlier this year, taking a close and conservative decision victory over Ross Pearson in his debut.
Brooks has been plenty busy in Bellator for years, though, beating Michael Chandler, Marcin Held and plenty of others while earning and defending the promotion’s lightweight belt.
He’s aiming for similar heights in the UFC, but to do that he’ll need to navigate a very crowded division. The official UFC rankings are certainly not a perfect tool, but when Dustin Poirier is ranked No. 10 and Edson Barboza is only No. 5, that’s telling you something.
Brooks certainly has the chops, including a hybridized karate-wrestling game that is tough to deal with, wherein he fights from long range and attacks with kicks but still can get and defend takedowns. This fight with a bona fide berserker in Oliveira is a needed step forward. A finish would make it two steps.
Popular Veterans Face Possible Pink Slips
Three straight losses is generally accepted as the UFC’s cut line. Walking papers often follow closely behind consecutive defeat No. 3.
But not always. Sometimes, a fighter who’s particularly popular with fans or UFC brass can survive beyond that line. Sometimes, the opposite applies. It’s a complex calculation, and there are several fighters on the Portland card who may be on the wrong side of it.
Middleweight Nate Marquardt might be among them. The 37-year-old veteran has shown a diminished chin in dropping three of his last four (two by knockout) and six of eight (four by knockout) dating back to 2013. He needs to make a statement in the featured bout on the UFC Fight Pass portion of the undercard, where he has stiff competition in Tamdan “The Barn Cat” McCrory.
The 36-year-old Joshua Burkman has also seen defeat in three of his last four—and it would be four of five if Hector Lombard hadn’t burned down the bathroom with his urine stream and turned a win to a no- contest. Burkman may have caught a bit of a matchmaking break in Portland when Bobby Green pulled out with injury and UFC newcomer Zak Ottow replaced him. If Burkman can’t beat Ottow, that’s a problem.
Andre Fili is only 26 and probably not facing release, but we’ll throw him in as an honorable mention (of sorts) because this is a massive fight for him. The Team Alpha Male trainee is not a prospect anymore. What he is is a 3-3 UFC fighter coming off a loss in which he was on the wrong end of the highlight reel against Yair Rodriguez. See video.
Fili has yet to defeat a dyed-in-the-wool top-level fighter. His opponent Saturday, Hacran Dias, is ranked 12th in the official rankings. A win would be the biggest feather in his UFC cap to date.
In her second UFC fight, Cris Cyborg returns to the Octagon on Saturday looking to extend her winning streak to six as she takes on UFC newcomer Lina Lansberg.
UFC is seemingly creating a new division to accommodate Cyborg’s size. The promotion h…
In her second UFC fight, Cris Cyborg returns to the Octagon on Saturday looking to extend her winning streak to six as she takes on UFC newcomer Lina Lansberg.
UFC is seemingly creating a new division to accommodate Cyborg’s size. The promotion has two women’s divisions—strawweight (115 pounds) and bantamweight (135 pounds)—yet Cyborg has been given two catchweight matches at 140 pounds.
As a result of Cyborg being bigger and outside the weight class of UFC’s biggest female division, Lansberg is being served up as a sacrificial lamb after just seven career fights in smaller promotions.
Anything can happen in a fight, but Cyborg is being put in the mixed martial arts equivalent of a WWE squash match for her home country in Brazil.
TV Schedule
Fight Card
Main Event Prediction
The lead-up to Cyborg vs. Lansberg has been unusual because Lansberg is being given almost no chance to win.
Per Odds Shark, Cyborg is a 2-25 favorite to defeat Lansberg. ESPN’s Reed Kuhn recently wrote about the biggest upsets by odds in UFC history, with T.J. Dillashaw’s win over Renan Barao at UFC 173 when he was given +710 odds.
Going back to Odds Shark, Lansberg currently has +700 (bet $100 to win $700) odds against Cyborg. It would nearly equal the biggest upset by odds in UFC history.
Another reason for the unusual lead into the match is because of Cyborg’s weight cut. On Tuesday, she told Damon Martin of Fox Sports her weight was still at 160 pounds. Weigh-ins for the event take place on Friday, giving her three days to cut 20 pounds.
On top of that, per A.J. Perez, Steven Marrocco and Mike Bohn of USA Today, Cyborg’s diet coach George Lockhart said in a video posted on her YouTube channel that he put her on birth control to help cut weight:
Cris kind of had an issue with the birth control I put her on. Some of the problems she was wondering about was it making her lose muscle, lose strength, maybe lose some of her aggressiveness. One of the issues she faced last camp was that she had strong periods, so I wanted to put her on birth control.
Per Mike Bohn of Rolling Stone, Cyborg typically walks around at 170 pounds when she is not preparing for a fight.
Weight cuts in mixed martial arts are never fun, but this is a 30-pound drop for Cyborg. She continues to add muscle mass as she gets older, which is only going to make it that much more difficult to make weight the longer she fights.
There comes a point when dropping too much weight, especially in such a short amount of time, is dangerous for your health. Cyborg is only 31 years old and has not shown signs of slowing down, so expecting anything other than a quick knockout victory would be foolish.
Lansberg doesn’t have a long MMA track record, though she explained to Ben Fowlkes of MMAJunkie.com her career record isn’t indicative of how much experience she has.
I have more than 80 fights in Thai boxing. I have been there before. I fought Valentina Shevchenko in the world championship final many years ago. That was exactly what happened, just like this. I’ve been there before, and I think the experience is what’s going to make the difference.
It’s interesting that Lansberg highlights the fight against Shevchenko, because Fowlkes noted she lost that match.
Lansberg understands why UFC wanted her to fight at 140 pounds and has the right mindset going into a fight with Cyborg. She told Fowlkes that she has nothing to lose, which is 100 percent accurate.
UFC gains nothing if Lansberg beats Cyborg. If Cyborg eventually gets a match with Ronda Rousey—based on Cyborg’s unwillingness/inability to go down to 135 pounds, don’t count on it happening anytime soon—it depends entirely on her aura as an unstoppable monster.
A win by Lansberg, or even taking the fight into the later rounds, makes her instantly credible and will presumably earn at least one more match on a UFC card.
It’s just unfair and unrealistic to expect, because Cyborg is as indestructible as any fighter in mixed martial arts right now. She hasn’t had a fight go past the first round since 2013, with three of her previous four fights all ending in 81 seconds or less.
