Tag: Preview/Prediction

UFC Rio: Paulo Thiago Looks to "Put on A Great Show" Against David Mitchell

After suffering back-to back losses, it seems fitting for UFC welterweight Paulo Thiago to redeem himself in front of his homeland of Brazil. According to FightersOnly.com, Thiago will look to face off against Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, David …

After suffering back-to back losses, it seems fitting for UFC welterweight Paulo Thiago to redeem himself in front of his homeland of Brazil. 

According to FightersOnly.com, Thiago will look to face off against Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu specialist, David Mitchell at UFC Rio on August 27. Thiago spoke to FightersOnly.com and said his training regiment has brought him in good spirits prior to his upcoming bout. 

“I’m very excited to fight in Rio de Janeiro,” Thaigo said.

“Tell my friends from Fighters Only I will put on a great show, to show them I am on my way to the top.”

Thiago burst onto the scene, compiling an undefeated record of 3-0 in the UFC, picking up wins over Josh Koscheck, Mike Swick and Jacob Volkmann. But a recent string of losses to Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez, respectively, has put the Brazilian in unfamiliar territory. 

But Thiago remains confident in his training camp, where he has trained for all his UFC bouts thus far, and has his teammates helping him prepare. 

Mitchell will also be looking for a win, as he lost to T.J Waldburger in his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 22. 

UFC Rio will take place on August 27 live from the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The event will be headlined by middleweight title bout as Anderson Silva looks to defend his title for a ninth straight time against rival opponent, Yushin Okami.

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UFC 130 Rampage vs Hamill Preview: Battle of the Uppercuts

When former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faces Matt “The Hammer” Hamill this Saturday in the main event for UFC 130, he will be facing a fighter very similar to himself.Both are strong wrestlers with powerful striking and du…

When former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faces Matt “The Hammer” Hamill this Saturday in the main event for UFC 130, he will be facing a fighter very similar to himself.

Both are strong wrestlers with powerful striking and durable chins.

They even share what is arguably their trademark strike: the uppercut.

The uppercut is oft underutilized by other fighters, but this technique is never lost on these two.

Although they both use the uppercut to great effect, they use it in distinctly different ways.

Rampage’s uppercut is short and used in close range. He loves to knock opponents out with his devastating hooks, but as soon as they step in too close he is there to greet them with his trademark uppercut.

Hamill’s trademark uppercut is a lunging strike, utilized at range. When fighters are used to their opponents coming in with overhands and straight punches, Hamill comes in with an unexpected uppercut.

Which strike will play a bigger role this Saturday?

Rampage’s might be quicker and more ferocious, but Hamill’s might be more versatile and possibly used more frequently.

Of course, considering their wrestling abilities, we could see the match play out mostly as a grappling battle. However, my intuition tells me that their wrestling is going neutralize each others’.

When these two powerful men step into the octagon, somebody is going to get hit very, very hard, and I have the distinct feeling that we are going to see some of the best uppercuts in the sport at work.

UFC 130 Rampage vs Hamill: News, Results, and More… 

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UFC 130 Fight Card: Rafaello Oliveira vs. Gleison Tibau Preview

UFC 130 is set to take place on Saturday, May 28 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.The main event on the card will feature a light heavyweight battle between former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill. The…

UFC 130 is set to take place on Saturday, May 28 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The main event on the card will feature a light heavyweight battle between former UFC champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill. The co-main event will be a heavyweight showdown between two highly ranked fighters, former UFC champion Frank Mir and Roy “Big Country” Nelson.

Lightweight fighters Rafaello Oliveira (14-3) and Gleison Tibau (22-7) will face off on the undercard. The fight will be streamed live on the UFC’s Facebook page.

Lady Luck smiled on Oliveira when Tibau’s opponent, Bart Palaszewski, was forced to withdraw from UFC 130 due to injury.

Oliveira had a three-fight run in the UFC in 2009-10, going 1-2 before being released. Since his release he has put together a record of 4-0, with his most recent win being a second-round TKO over Ryan Bixler in late March of this year.

Oliveira is a black belt in BJJ, but he has not utilized his submission skills to any great degree, with only four of his 14 wins coming via submission. 

Tibau was also a call-up to the UFC 130 card, replacing an injured Cody McKenzie, who was originally slated to meet Palaszewski.

Tibau is a veteran of the UFC, debuting with a TKO loss to Nick Diaz at UFC 65 in 2006. Since that time Tibau has put together a UFC record of 8-5.

Tibau’s most recent fight was a split-decision win over Kurt Pellegrino at UFC 128 in March of this year.

A big concern for both fighters in this bout will be prep time. Tibau had three weeks to get ready for the bout, while Oliveira had a little more than one week. Cardio may be a big factor in the outcome of this preliminary bout.

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UFC 130 Fight Card: Can Frank Mir Ever Be a Heavyweight Contender Again?

Bleacher Report’s Jeffrey McKinney:When referee Herb Dean stopped the fight between Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia at UFC 48, the stunned live crowd booed.Mir had Sylvia in an armbar. Sylvia did not tap, and showed no signs of being hurt. When the replay sho…

Bleacher Report’s Jeffrey McKinney:

When referee Herb Dean stopped the fight between Frank Mir and Tim Sylvia at UFC 48, the stunned live crowd booed.

Mir had Sylvia in an armbar. Sylvia did not tap, and showed no signs of being hurt.

When the replay showed though, it left one of the most shocking images in MMA history. Mir had  snapped Sylvia’s arm, breaking it in four places.

Mir won the UFC heavyweight title that night, and looked to have a promising title run.

Mir’s run was cut short due to a motorcycle accident that occurred three months after winning the title. The accident caused Mir to be stripped of his title after being unable to defend it.

Mir struggled to be the fighter he once was when he returned, going just 1-2 in his first three fights back.

It was not until Mir faced Antoni Hardonk that he looked like the champion he once was.

Mir would go to make Brock Lesnar tap in his first UFC fight, and become the first person to make beat Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by TKO.

The Nogueira fight was the first of three championship fights that Mir has been featured in within the last three years.

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UFC 130 Fight Card: Power Ranking Each Matchup’s Excitement Level

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan R.R. Clarke:The countdown, the wait, the anticipation for UFC 130 is almost over. The hype, the training, the blood, the sweat and the trash talking will all be tested this Saturday night. Can Rampage, coming off of his vic…

Bleacher Report’s Jonathan R.R. Clarke:

The countdown, the wait, the anticipation for UFC 130 is almost over. The hype, the training, the blood, the sweat and the trash talking will all be tested this Saturday night. Can Rampage, coming off of his victory over Lyoto Machida, dispose of Hamill in front of the Vegas crowd? Can Edgar overwhelm Maynard to retain the Lightweight Championship? This is the power-ranking of UFC:130 – the matches that promise to be the most exciting, thrilling and outright thoroughly entertaining clashes on the night; and the matches that could turn into potential blowouts. Enjoy!

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UFC 130 Fight Card Video: Joe Rogan Breaks Downs the Main Card

Bleacher Report’s Michael Evans:Joe Rogan has been with the UFC since 1997, four years before Zuffa bought the then-failing company for $2 million and brought it to prominence. Rogan is the play-by-play man for the UFC for a reason, he knows MMA top…

Bleacher Report’s Michael Evans:

Joe Rogan has been with the UFC since 1997, four years before Zuffa bought the then-failing company for $2 million and brought it to prominence. Rogan is the play-by-play man for the UFC for a reason, he knows MMA top to bottom and he loves the sport like no other.

Rogan isn’t always taken seriously by the casual fan, but people who’ve been around the sport for a long time know how good he really is. His dedication to MMA and the UFC does not go unnoticed.

In this video, Rogan breaks down the UFC 130 matchups and describes how he sees the fights panning out. Rogan knows a lot about these fighters, and his opinions should not be ignored. After all, Rogan is the man who sits outside the Octagon at every event and gets paid to pay very close attention to the athletes.

Click here to see the video: