Tag: Rankings/List

4 Fighters Who Could Challenge Demetrious Johnson

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has been extremely dominant as the UFC’s first and only flyweight champion.
Since his 2012 rematch with Ian McCall, he has reigned supreme over every 125-pound fighter the UFC has put in front of him….

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has been extremely dominant as the UFC’s first and only flyweight champion.

Since his 2012 rematch with Ian McCall, he has reigned supreme over every 125-pound fighter the UFC has put in front of him. Despite many people thinking that Johnson has essentially cleaned out the top of the flyweight division, a few worthy adversaries remain.

Johnson was one of the top fighters at 135 pounds when the UFC first introduced that weight class prior to flyweight. He defeated Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto and Miguel Torres to earn a shot at then-bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz but came up short, losing by unanimous decision to Cruz in October 2011.

If Johnson ever truly clears out the 125-pound ranks and needs some competition, he can do what former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva did from time to time—move up in weight for occasional showcase fights against intriguing opponents.

There are more than a few intriguing bouts for Mighty Mouse at his old stomping ground of 135 pounds, including a “superfight” with the champ T.J. Dillashaw.

Johnson really doesn’t need to look beyond his current weight class for formidable opposition. Not yet, anyway. An upcoming matchup between sixth-ranked flyweight Jon Lineker and third-ranked Ian McCall on November 8 could likely determine the next challenger for Johnson’s title.

Here are four fighters who could challenge UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson.

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10 Longest-Tenured UFC Veterans Right Now

In a sport that can wear the body down in a hurry, not many MMA fighters have the durability to last more than a decade at the highest level.
The remaining The Ultimate Fighter 1 participants are six months away from reaching that milestone, but t…

In a sport that can wear the body down in a hurry, not many MMA fighters have the durability to last more than a decade at the highest level.

The remaining The Ultimate Fighter 1 participants are six months away from reaching that milestone, but they are dropping quickly. Forrest Griffin, Stephan Bonnar, Kenny Florian and Chris Leben have all been removed from the UFC roster over recent years, leaving Diego Sanchez, Josh Koscheck and Mike Swick as the only three TUF 1 competitors remaining.

Where do Sanchez, Koscheck and Swick rank among the longest-tenured UFC fighters going? Based on time competing under the UFC banner without appearing in another organization, here are the top 10 contracted UFC fighters who have been with the promotion the longest.

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10 European Fighters Ready to Break Out

A “breakout” can mean different things to different people. It can mean a flare-up of a skin irritation, for example. It can mean an escape en masse of prisoners from prison. But it’s not going to mean those things today.
Today, right here, in an …

A “breakout” can mean different things to different people. It can mean a flare-up of a skin irritation, for example. It can mean an escape en masse of prisoners from prison. But it’s not going to mean those things today.

Today, right here, in an MMA context, it means taking the next step in your career. But what does that mean? Well, it differs.

In the following slideshow, we’re going to attempt something dangerous: We’re going to attempt to apply the term “breakout” to more than one situation. But though situations may vary, all 10 of the people here are poised for a breakout in their MMA careers, and that’s why they’re here.

Today, we’re looking at fighters who hail from Europe (Russia included this time). Are these all talented competitors? Yes. Check that box. Are they all at the same level in their careers? No.

Some are already in the UFC. Some are not. Some are deep prospects. Others are well-known to many fans. But they have this in common: They all appear ready to take a big leap forward on their respective professional trajectories.

For some, that could mean a call from the major leagues. For others, it could mean a fight for the major league title. 

Does this all make sense? Great. Here goes. These are ranked based on who stands to make the biggest leap. Again, this is not a list of the best European fighters. It’s those who are most well-positioned for a breakout. All right. Let’s go.

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The 10 Best UFC Fights to Close out 2014

We’ve had an extraordinary amount of mixed martial arts in 2014. Too much MMA, if you ask some folks (myself included). With a Fight Pass card nearly every weekend and multiple UFC events in the same day, it can be information overload for the MMA fan …

We’ve had an extraordinary amount of mixed martial arts in 2014. Too much MMA, if you ask some folks (myself included). With a Fight Pass card nearly every weekend and multiple UFC events in the same day, it can be information overload for the MMA fan who would rather have things curated. 

That’s what I’m here for. There are plenty of UFC events remaining in 2014, but I’m here today to give you 10 of the best. These are the cream of the crop, the ones you should be looking for. They all either have some semblance of importance, or they are just going to be flat-out awesome. Either way, they’re on this list for a reason.

Let’s finish with the small talk and get right to it. 

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UFC Rankings: Good Calls and Bad Calls Following UFC Fight Night 53 & 54

On a day when 46 competitors stepped into the Octagon, Rory MacDonald made the biggest impact.
The Canadian started out with a conservative approach against Tarec Saffiedine on Saturday. However, MacDonald was able to knock his opponent to the canvas a…

On a day when 46 competitors stepped into the Octagon, Rory MacDonald made the biggest impact.

The Canadian started out with a conservative approach against Tarec Saffiedine on Saturday. However, MacDonald was able to knock his opponent to the canvas and record a knockout victory by landing a left hook during a combination in the third round.

MacDonald now has a strong argument that he should be next in line to fight for the welterweight championship. The win over Saffiedine certainly helped MacDonald in that regard, but did it elevate him in the 170-pound rankings?

Here are the latest official UFC rankings via UFC.com, which are voted on by various members of the MMA media. 

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5 Successful UFC Veterans Who Failed to Make the TUF House

The elimination round. It was a concept that The Ultimate Fighter incorporated to rid the show of fighters who “didn’t want to be there” or didn’t deserve to be there.
Brought in for the seventh season of the show, it is a concept we have seen for the …

The elimination round. It was a concept that The Ultimate Fighter incorporated to rid the show of fighters who “didn’t want to be there” or didn’t deserve to be there.

Brought in for the seventh season of the show, it is a concept we have seen for the most part since then. In most cases, it has separated the best fighters from the worst fighters.

Of course, that is not always how it goes. In fact, sometimes, fighters who lose in the elimination round and fail to make the house end up still making the UFC and being successful.

Here are five of those men who shook off an early setback in their quest for UFC gold to come back and carve out solid UFC careers.

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