UFC TUF Finale: The 5 Biggest Fights and Why We’re Watching

After a somewhat disappointing main event at UFC 130, fans seem to be guaranteed fireworks at The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale on June 4.The event, which will be airing live on SpikeTV, will be headlined by the high-energy Clay “The Carpenter” Gui…

After a somewhat disappointing main event at UFC 130, fans seem to be guaranteed fireworks at The Ultimate Fighter Season 13 Finale on June 4.

The event, which will be airing live on SpikeTV, will be headlined by the high-energy Clay “The Carpenter” Guida and former WEC champ Anthony “Showtime” Pettis in a bout of lightweight contenders.

Guida will be riding a three-fight win streak, the last of which was a submission victory over Takanori Gomi. Pettis comes in with a four-fight win streak after a unanimous decision win over Ben Henderson for the WEC lightweight title.

Adding to the mix are bouts with TUF alum Kyle Kingsbury, Ed Herman, George Roop and Tim Credeur.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 131: Breakdown and Predictions for the Entire Card

It’s easy to completely write off UFC 131 now that Brock Lesnar has been forced out due to injury. The main card isn’t as good as one would expect from the UFC, and it lacks a true co-main event, but overall the card is still worth the $60 …

It’s easy to completely write off UFC 131 now that Brock Lesnar has been forced out due to injury.

The main card isn’t as good as one would expect from the UFC, and it lacks a true co-main event, but overall the card is still worth the $60 you know you’ll end up spending on it.

Making predictions for any sport is tough, but it’s even harder in MMA due to its unpredictable nature. I only bring this up because if you use these picks and lose some money, I can say, “I told you so.”

Begin Slideshow

Brock Lesnar Undergoes Successful Surgery; Expected to Return in 2012

Brock Lesnar: Originally Scheduled to Fight on the Main Event of UFC 131 Undergoes SurgeryBleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:According to MMAJunkie.com, Brock Lesnar underwent successful surgery to repair his second bout with diverticulitis. It is expected…

Brock Lesnar: Originally Scheduled to Fight on the Main Event of UFC 131 Undergoes Surgery

Bleacher Report’s Mike Hodges:

According to MMAJunkie.com, Brock Lesnar underwent successful surgery to repair his second bout with diverticulitis. It is expected for the former UFC heavyweight champion to make a return in early 2012. 

UFC president Dana White said that Lesnar had 12 inches of his colon removed during the surgery, and will have to recover for the rest of the year. White said he expects Lesnar to make his return next year.

“He said he’s a little sore, but the operation was a huge success,” White said during the UFC 130 telecast.

White added that Lesnar visited the Mayo Clinic last Thursday to go over some options for his recovery.

Must Read: 10 Burning Questions Heading Into UFC 131

“He’s going to make some decisions as to what he’s going to do, but he’s in a good place right now,”

Lesnar was originally scheduled to face Junior dos Santos in the main event at UFC 131, after their coaching stint on The Ultimate Fighter, but was struck with the illness for a second time in his career. 

Lesnar first contracted diverticulitis in 2009 during a hunting trip in Canada.

Lesnar made some changes to his diet and overall lifestyle in order to prevent from contracting the illness again, and returned to the UFC the following year.

Click here to read more.

UFC 131: 10 Burning Questions Heading into UFC 131

UFC 130 is in the books and while many were disappointed in the performances in the two headlining bouts, the preliminary card fights allowed some of the lesser known UFC talent to steal the spotlight from the big names.Rick Story showed that his ca…

UFC 130 is in the books and while many were disappointed in the performances in the two headlining bouts, the preliminary card fights allowed some of the lesser known UFC talent to steal the spotlight from the big names.

Rick Story showed that his calling out Thiago Alves was far from a mistake as he took a unanimous decsion victory from the highly ranked welterweight, setting himself up to make a charge up that division’s rankings.

Travis Browne remained unbeaten, advancing his record to 11-0-1, with a highlight reel Superman punch to the chin of Stefan Struve, dropping the ‘Skyscraper’ to the mat in the first round.

Brian Stann scored his second inpressive TKO victory in as many fights, overpowering the former Sengoku champion, Jorge Santiago.

Tim Boetsch looked impressive in his first bout since dropping from light heavyweight to middleweight, using his wrestling skills to neutralize Kendall Grove.

Miguel Torres and Demetrious Johnson delivered in their bantamweight battle, with Johnson getting the nod over Torres in a fight that could have very easily been scored the other way.

The UFC’s next numbered event will be UFC 131, which will take place from Vancouver, British Columbia’s, Rogers Arena on June 11.

What follows are 10 burning questions heading into UFC 131, which will be headlined by a main event bout between Junior dos Santos and Shane Carwin.

Begin Slideshow

UFC 131 Fight Card: Will We Finally See Junior Dos Santos’ Ground Game?

It is no secret heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos packs a devastatingly powerful punch. He has risen rapidly in the UFC, and on his current streak, he has battered the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Gilbert Yvel and Gabri…

It is no secret heavyweight contender Junior Dos Santos packs a devastatingly powerful punch. He has risen rapidly in the UFC, and on his current streak, he has battered the likes of Fabricio Werdum, Stefan Struve, Gilbert Yvel and Gabriel Gonzaga.

Dos Santos learns and trains his MMA striking under the tutelage of such established notables as Rodrigo Nogueira, Rogerio Nogueira and Anderson Silva, whose credentials on the feet are well-established.

Dos Santos is the main attraction in his fight with Shane Carwin at UFC 131 in Vancouver. When the original card was made, I was extremely interested in seeing the headline fight. Brock Lesnar would have tested all aspects of Cigano’s game. With him out and Carwin in though, the question remains, will we finally see Junior Dos Santos’ ground game?

I doubt it, and I hope not.

I want to see Dos Santos and Carwin throw, and may the best chin win.

Lesnar would have tried to take Cigano down, and I believe he would have been successful. We would have also seen Junior have to fight off his back for the first time in a big fight—very intriguing. 

I highly doubt Carwin will attempt any takedowns right out of the shoot on June 11, but if he starts to get the worst of the stand-up with Junior, he will go to his roots to try to muscle and bully Dos Santos for his blueprint to victory.

I don’t believe it will get there. I think the gauntlet has been set with JDS predicting a knockout, and Carwin will be all too happy to oblige in letting him try.

Just like with his striking, Dos Santos trains his ground game with the Nogueira’s and “The Spider,” but we may have to wait again to get a glimpse of his black belt skill. 

 

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Correspondent for Bleacher Report MMA (Also a Correspondent for  MMACanada.net).

Catch him on Twitter @wakafighter

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 130 Results: Can Jose Aldo Teammate Renan Barao Become a Bantamweight Force?

This past Saturday, the man I once called “the most lethal and most promising bantamweight you’ve never heard of,” Renan “Barão” Pegado, did what I anticipated he would and put his skills—namely his striking, ground control, and slams&mdas…

This past Saturday, the man I once called “the most lethal and most promising bantamweight you’ve never heard of,” Renan “Barão” Pegado, did what I anticipated he would and put his skills—namely his striking, ground control, and slams—to effective utilization against inaugural WEC Featherweight Champion Cole Escovedo.

One judge felt that Escovedo earned himself a round, but if you watched the fight on Facebook, you might have been able to see how Barão earned himself all three rounds with the abilities he did show.

There’s no question about whether Barão did impress against Escovedo–Barão definitely did impress against Escovedo, he did prove that the hype was certainly justified in his debut, and he did finally jump-start his UFC war-path to the peak of Mount Bantamweight where Dominick Cruz hopes to stay atop after his UFC 132 clash with heated rival Urijah Faber.

Barão trains with the likes of Bibiano Fernandes, Marlon Sandro, and Jose Aldo, so his success against Escovedo should have been expected, even by fans who winged their predictions for the Facebook card and chose Barão on a limb, but with the clear win over Escovedo comes a question:

Can a few more victories Barão transform “The Baron” from a hidden treasure in the Bantamweight division to the man destined to fulfill his claim of the seat of power in the UFC’s Bantamweight class?

A few more victories for any other Bantamweight can transform them from a relative unknown with promise and potential into the guy that can beat Cruz or Faber, but Barão is a different issue.

To directly answer this question, not only can he be a Bantamweight force, and not only WILL he be able to become a Bantamweight force, but someday before we even know it, Renan Barão will rule the roost as UFC Bantamweight Champion and possibly even the pound-for-pound best Bantamweight in Mixed Martial Arts..

See, he’s proven to be a well-rounded fighter that can grapple, strike, slam, and maintain a pretty good top game on anyone that gives him the shot to do so.

He’s a guy that isn’t afraid to mix it up with any other fighter, no matter how overmatched he may seem compared to the Michael McDonalds, the Chris Cariasos, the Brad Picketts, Scott Jorgensens, and Nick Paces of the sport.

The training at the Nova Uniao Jiu-Jitsu Academy with Scarface, Flash and The Monster of Rio, among the other promising fighters associated with the Team Nogueira/Black House syndications of the sport, will only cause Barão to further evolve as a fighter, so much so that he may be the spitting image of a complete 135er, especially with the potential he’s shown so far in his career.

Barão’s hype-train just picked up some good steam, and it’s only going to start picking up more and more steam until it’s traveling at such a supersonic speed that it’ll be tough for future prospects to keep up.

He and Michael McDonald unquestionably are a part of the future of MMA‘s Bantamweight class along with staples of Japanese MMA such as Hiroyuki Takaya and Hatsu Hioki and many other young names in the sport, but Takaya and Hioki are already forces in DREAM and Sengoku, and McDonald’s not too far away from becoming a force after his split decision win over Cariaso at UFC 130.

Now the question is, can Barão capitalize on the success garnered by his win over Escovedo and earn the same reputation?

Not only can he, but if you ask this guy, it’s more than saying “he will be” that translates out to a “yes.”

As a matter of fact, when we look at Barão, we might just be looking at the next UFC Bantamweight Champion—regardless of whether Cruz, Faber, Joseph Benavidez, or any other UFC Bantamweight wants to say anything about or not.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com