Most people expected that Rafael dos Anjos vs. Nate Diaz was going to go one of two ways: A disgruntled Diaz would get routed, or a disgruntled Diaz would prove to be surprisingly sharp in his return to action.
The result was the former.
Dos Anjos…
Most people expected that Rafael dos Anjos vs. Nate Diaz was going to go one of two ways: A disgruntled Diaz would get routed, or a disgruntled Diaz would prove to be surprisingly sharp in his return to action.
The result was the former.
Dos Anjos was a man possessed in beating Diaz from pillar to post, and Diaz looked like he had little interest in participating in an athletic endeavor on Saturday night.
Here’s what we learned.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight
We’ll remember the disinterested nature of Diaz and how badly it cost him against a game, hungry dos Anjos. At a time when dos Anjos was thinking about a title shot and Diaz was thinking about making some scratch, it showed in the cage.
It was the tale of two careers. Dos Anjos is on his way up, peaking at the right time and staking his claim as one of the top fighters. Diaz, meanwhile, looked like a man with nowhere left to go but down as the game continues to catch up with him. This might have been the worst fight of the Stockton product’s career.
What We Learned About Nate Diaz
We learned that he can’t fight when his heart isn’t in it.
Diaz has been one of the best lightweights alive for five years or more now. But on Saturday, he looked like a call-up from a Fight Pass show. He was outdueled at every turn, hobbled by leg kicks and split open with elbows on the ground.
In a business where you hurt dudes for money, you better come correct on the mental side of things. He’s better off staying away from the sport until he gets his head on straight.
What We Learned About Rafael dos Anjos
We learned that he’s the top contender for the lightweight title.
While KhabibNurmagomedov has a claim as well, he’s not going to be ready to come back until mid-2015. In that time, dos Anjos could get his chance and perhaps even make good on it against champion Anthony Pettis. He’s put in the time in the UFC and the performances to justify it. He should be given a serious look from Dana White and Co.
On merit, there’s no one out there ahead of him at this point. Give him his chance.
What’s Next for Diaz
Some serious consideration about his career and how he wants it to continue. If he remains in the UFC and wants to compete for real, Diego Sanchez and the built-in family rivalry could get him appropriately fired up.
What’s Next for dos Anjos
It should be a title fight against Pettis. If it’s not, EdsonBarboza might make an appealing opponent.
Our friend Alex Giardini will be furiously typing out round-by-round results from the “Dos Santos vs. Miocic” main card after the jump, beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and tell us how you’re feeling on twitter @cagepotatomma. Cheers!
(“Someday *I’ll* be big, and you’ll have to listen to *me*!” — That kid in the background. / Photo via Getty)
Our friend Alex Giardini will be furiously typing out round-by-round results from the “Dos Santos vs. Miocic” main card after the jump, beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and tell us how you’re feeling on twitter @cagepotatomma. Cheers!
Preliminary Card Results
– Joanna Jedrzejczyk def. Claudia Gadelha via split decision (28-29, 29-28×2)
– John Moraga def. Willie Gates via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:06 of R3
– Ben Saunders def. Joe Riggs via submission (injury) at 0:57 of R1
– Drew Dober def. Jamie Varner via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:52 of R1
– Derek Brunson vs. Ed Herman (Canceled due to Brunson suffering from food poisoning)
– Bryan Barberena def. Joe Ellenberger via TKO (strikes) at 3:24 of R3
– David Michaud def. Garett Whiteley via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28×2)
– Henry Cejudo def. Dustin Kimura via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
– Ian Entwistle def. Anthony Birchak via submission (heel hook) at 1:04 of R1
Welcome to the UFC on FOX 13 liveblog. Stay a while, share some laughs, and pray for some saucy scraps. It’s been a pretty eventful evening thus far to say the least, so let’s hope the trend continues.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Matt Mitrione
Round 1: Mitrione declines to touch gloves, and starts talking to him. Mitrione is bouncy on the feet, but gets caught by a right hand from Gonzaga. Mitrione lands a sharp jab, keeping up with his footwork. Gonzaga steps on Mitrione’s foot, and the latter starts to back up. Gonzaga starting to walk him down. Both heavyweights are swinging wildly, but missing most of their punches. Mitrione staggers Gonzaga with a brutal left hand, and the Brazilian goes down on all fours. Mitrione lacing him with shots, and Gonzaga tries to get up but is brought down again. It’s all over, and the man formerly known as “Meathead” gets the job done.
Matt Mitrione def. Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO (strikes) at 1:59 of R1
The UFC’s lightweight division has passed the point of being a proverbial shark tank. There is a long list of fighters who are waiting in the wings to challenge champion Anthony Pettis.
Rafael dos Anjos is just one of those fighters who can lay claim t…
The UFC’s lightweight division has passed the point of being a proverbial shark tank. There is a long list of fighters who are waiting in the wings to challenge champion Anthony Pettis.
Rafael dos Anjos is just one of those fighters who can lay claim to that top contender’s spot. However, he has to get past Nate Diaz at UFC on Fox 13 on Saturday first. When looking at both of these men, they each have specific pathways to follow for victory.
Diaz vs. Dos Anjos is an interesting take on the striker vs. grappler matchup. Nate battles much like his brother Nick, looking to overwhelm his opponent with constant boxing combinations and forcing him to either fold under the storm or make a bad attempt on a takedown. Once the fight hits the floor, Diaz can then show off his Brazilian jiu-jitsu chops that have helped him earn 11 of his 17 wins.
However, Dos Anjos is not to be outdone on the mat.
The Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt has eight submission victories of his own. However, that should not be considered his best route to victory. In fact, he should use his BJJ as a deterrent once this fight hits the mat in order to stave off any attacks that Diaz might attempt. Instead, Dos Anjos should lean on his developing wrestling and kickboxing abilities to secure the win.
He has looked like a different fighter in many of his recent bouts. Based on his performance statistics provided by FightMetric, he has had a lot of success when he has scored multiple takedowns. One one hand, in four of his five defeats within the Octagon, his opponents took him down and controlled the positioning of the bout. On the other hand, in seven of his victories, he scored more than two takedowns of his own.
Diaz has never been known as much of a wrestling artist. In fact, he has two total takedowns in his last eight fights while defending only 45 percent of takedowns sent his way, via FightMetric.
This dynamic will give Dos Anjos the edge when it comes to the wrestling, but the question still remains as to how well his striking will compare to Diaz’s volume game. Diaz consistently overwhelms opponents with his pressure and boxing. If he can control the range of this fight and pressure Dos Anjos into bad spots, that will help him avoid being smothered on the mat. While Dos Anjos has only been stopped twice in his career—once by TKO and once by submission—Diaz has the ability to pile up the points on strikes.
The question coming into Dos Anjos vs. Diaz is where this fight will take place. If Diaz can control the range, he will have a better shot at picking up the win. However, if Dos Anjos can weather the storm, score takedowns and pepper Diaz with leg kicks, he will claim an important decision victory at a time when the lightweight division is starting to open up for new title contenders.
UFC on Fox 13 features three heavyweight fights and a top-15 lightweight tilt as well on the main card.
No. 2-ranked heavyweight contender Junior dos Santos goes up against No. 4-ranked Stipe Miocic in the main event, and No. 3-ranked lightweight conte…
UFC on Fox 13 features three heavyweight fights and a top-15 lightweight tilt as well on the main card.
No. 2-ranked heavyweight contender Junior dos Santos goes up against No. 4-ranked StipeMiocic in the main event, and No. 3-ranked lightweight contender Rafael dos Anjos battles No. 14-ranked Nate Diaz in the co-main event.
Before any fights happen the fighters must first make weight on Friday afternoon.
Bleacher Report will have complete coverage of the weigh-in proceedings at 5 p.m. ET. Stick around for all the happenings from Phoenix.
Nate Diaz is back, and he most certainly has his work cut out for him.
In a lightweight throwdown that could produce the next top title threat to challenge champion Anthony Pettis, Diaz will make his return to the Octagon after a one-year absence to me…
Nate Diaz is back, and he most certainly has his work cut out for him.
In a lightweight throwdown that could produce the next top title threat to challenge champion Anthony Pettis, Diaz will make his return to the Octagon after a one-year absence to meet a red-hot Rafael dos Anjos this weekend at UFC on Fox 13.
The 155-pound tilt will serve as the co-main event, setting this one up for three very tantalizing rounds.
On paper, Diaz does have the advantage. But with an evolved striking facet and a mean streak that Matt Brown would be proud of, RDA has made huge strides in the division since Diaz last competed in 2013, notably knocking out Benson Henderson in one round back in August.
So strap in, fight fans. Here is a full head-to-toe breakdown for one of the most interesting lightweight clashes of 2014.
It wouldn’t be the UFC lightweight division without a little bit of intrigue, now would it?
Long regarded as the fight company’s deepest, most competitive weight class, the 155-pound ranks are never at a loss for title contenders. While all…
It wouldn’t be the UFC lightweight division without a little bit of intrigue, now would it?
Long regarded as the fight company’s deepest, most competitive weight class, the 155-pound ranks are never at a loss for title contenders. While allegedly top-of-the-food-chain divisions like heavyweight and light heavyweight eternally scrounge for worthwhile talent, lightweight is an embarrassment of riches.
Such is the case right now, as we approach the home stretch of 2014 with no fewer than three top challengers patiently awaiting the champion’s return. As it stands, the biggest test facing UFC matchmakers might be getting KhabibNurmagomedov, Donald Cerrone and Rafael dos Anjos to form an orderly line.
This has not been an easy year for the 155-pound title. Anthony Pettis spent the last 13 months on the shelf due to a significant knee injury. The UFC has resorted to its usual methods to keep the champ in the spotlight, using him as a television analyst and booking him to serve as a coach on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter. It’ll still be two more months before Pettis returns to defend the title against Gilbert Melendez at UFC 181 and at least a few months after that before anybody else gets his chance.
So, at least we have some time to break up the logjam, before it becomes an even more snarled mess.
At the time of this writing, Nurmagomedov may well have the inside track. The undefeated Dagestani has also been on ice since July, rehabbing a torn meniscus suffered just 30 minutes after he was announced for a potential title eliminator against Cerrone at UFC 178. But prior to that, he’d amassed six straight wins in the Octagon (he’s an astounding 22-0 overall), including a unanimous decision over dos Anjos in April.
No one has been able to foil his hard-nosed grappling attack and unorthodox, occasionally wild striking. Prior to coming to the UFC in 2012, he’d garnered 13 stoppages in 16 fights—10 of them in the first round.
Even while he’s been out nursing an injury, Nurmagomedov has managed to stay visible. He’s fashioned himself into an entertaining social media follow, lashing out at Pettis and Nate Diaz on Twitter. He’s also reportedly worked hard to learn English, the results of which were apparent when he spoke to Fox Sports’ Damon Martin last month.
“You tell me that Anthony Pettis or Gilbert Melendez is ready to go by April or May and I’ll be ready to go,” Nurmagomedov said. “Please give me my title shot, I deserve it. I smashed everybody. … If the UFC gives me the title shot, you will have a new undefeated and undisputed lightweight champion.”
Barring any further delays, a spring return would indeed put Nurmagomedov in the right place at the right time to greet the winner of Pettis-Melendez. If not that, certainly few would argue with trying to reschedule his canceled bout with Cerrone.
The rise of Cowboy Version 2.0 has been one of this year’s most pleasant developments. After Cerrone went 1-2 during 2013—with losses to Pettis and dos Anjos—it was tempting to think we’d already seen the best of him in the UFC. But then the Greg Jackson-trained fighter bounced back with a 2014 that made it appear he’s just getting started.
Cerrone is 4-0 so far this year, and his most recent appearances—against Jim Miller and Eddie Alvarez—made him look every bit a legitimate contender in the sport’s most cutthroat weight class.
There’s just not a lot to dislike about what he’s doing right now. Cerrone has locked in his personal marketing style—Can-do attitude? Check. Budweiser sponsorship? Check.—at exactly the right time. With his skills also reaching their zenith, it feels like a potent combination. If anything will keep him from reaching his full potential as a title contender, it could be his insistence on trying to fight as many as a half-dozen times a year.
He’s let it be known he doesn’t care much about rankings and titles so long as he can fight early and often. As I wrote a week ago, that credo has made him a star, but it sounds like close to a suicide mission in the stacked lightweight class. Chances are, he’ll slip up and lose a fight or two before a championship opportunity comes his way.
But Cerrone is popular and exciting and (lately) one of the best fighters in the division. He could slide into an immediate title shot, and very few eyebrows would be raised over it. Perhaps a late injury to a current or future challenger would be the shortest distance between him and a championship bout.
It’s strange to say it, but dos Anjos feels like the odd man out in all of this. He’s 7-1 dating back to May 2012—with a win over Cerrone but a loss to Nurmagomedov—and is coming off an impressive knockout victory over former champion Benson Henderson. But it also somehow feels like dos Anjos is still in the process of separating himself from the pack.
Much of that is a problem of perception, obviously. Everybody knows and loves Cerrone. Nurmagomedov is also fast becoming one of the division’s best-liked fighters. Meanwhile, it doesn’t feel like dos Anjos has given fans anything to really sink their teeth into. As a result, a fight between him and the Pettis-Melendez winner wouldn’t necessarily be splashy enough to main event a UFC pay-per-view in early 2015.
Chances are, though, one of these three guys will be up next.
From a distance, there doesn’t appear to be much separating them. In a perfect world—which, let’s face it, is often too much to hope for in this sport—Nurmagomedov would face Pettis or Melendez in early spring while Cerrone and dos Anjos both get one more fight to prove themselves.
Much, though, will likely depend on timing as well as the outcome of the upcoming lightweight championship fight. If Melendez wins or some other calamity prevents the emergence of a clear-cut winner, it could necessitate an immediate rematch. Given what we already know about Pettis, another injury delay is also not out of the question. In that case, all bets could be off.
But with Nurmagomeov, Cerrone and dos Anjos all on deck—not to mention fighters like Myles Jury and Bobby Green coming up behind them—the biggest issue facing the lightweight division will continue to be picking the right contender from the crowd.
It