We all love to see good sportsmanship in MMA. If nothing else, it helps dispel the still-prevalent notion that mixed martial artists are little more than boorish barroom brawlers.
A glove touch here and a kind word there help civilise a sport that is o…
We all love to see good sportsmanship in MMA. If nothing else, it helps dispel the still-prevalent notion that mixed martial artists are little more than boorish barroom brawlers.
A glove touch here and a kind word there help civilise a sport that is otherwise ripe for misinterpretation by moralizing demagogues.
But just occasionally fighters can go overboard in the name of sportsmanship. After the eighth high five and fifth bro-hug, the in-cage action begins to look a lot less like a fight.
The following list mourns those fights that didn’t quite strike the right balance between respect and violence.
Rankings are just a bunch of numbers, right?
While that may be an actuality, rankings often serve as an index for each and every divisional map.
Now while some values may be skewed and others short-handed, the UFC has done its best to maintain stabilit…
Rankings are just a bunch of numbers, right?
While that may be an actuality, rankings often serve as an index for each and every divisional map.
Now while some values may be skewed and others short-handed, the UFC has done its best to maintain stability from the very depths of its roster.
But that doesn’t mean some names are given numbers, or the lack thereof, that fail to articulate their true worth in blood, sweat, skill and perennial success.
Here are eight fighters who deserve to be slotted higher up in the UFC’s official rankings.
*Fighters with substantial injuries and/or contractual disputes have been left off for those exact reasons
The presence of a sturdy chin, or lack thereof, always has and always will be predicated on a fighter’s genealogical makeup.
And since a chin can’t be strengthened through hard work and dedication, those seemingly blessed with jaws of granite bring an …
The presence of a sturdy chin, or lack thereof, always has and always will be predicated on a fighter’s genealogical makeup.
And since a chin can’t be strengthened through hard work and dedication, those seemingly blessed with jaws of granite bring an attribute to the cage that many fighters can only dream of possessing.
The opening portion of this two-part slideshow details the most rock-solid chins in MMA history—those that withstood countless beatings before ever giving into an embarrassing in-fight nap.
The second segment represents a list of the most unreliable chins in the sport’s history, a countdown of glass-jawed warriors who couldn’t seem to survive in slugfests.
Mixed martial arts is one of the only sports in the world that offers month-to-month action. No offseason, no lockouts, nothing.
Instead, MMA allows its fans to marvel in its unpredictability and unscripted madness 12 months out of the year.
Wheth…
Mixed martial arts is one of the only sports in the world that offers month-to-month action. No offseason, no lockouts, nothing.
Instead, MMA allows its fans to marvel in its unpredictability and unscripted madness 12 months out of the year.
Whether that perennial punishment is built around a championship rematch or an unprecedented return to the cage, fans can always count on seeing the best matchups available.
With that said, assuming the majority of these bouts actually come to fruition, here are the six most anticipated fights for 2015.
They always say you can’t go home.
Unfortunately for Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, he was the case study for such a fact Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 51.
The native of Brasilia, Brazil, returned to his hometown as a headliner against Andrei Arlovski an…
They always say you can’t go home.
Unfortunately for Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, he was the case study for such a fact Saturday night at UFC Fight Night 51.
The native of Brasilia, Brazil, returned to his hometown as a headliner against Andrei Arlovski and spent a few minutes looking lethargic before being violently knocked out by the Belarusian.
It’s a crushing loss for Silva, who has been on the fringe of the heavyweight super-elite basically since his UFC run began but is now not likely to reach such heights again.
34 years old, coming off of a suspension for testosterone and at 0-2-1 in his last three, it could be time for a late reset on his career. Here are three guys who could offer that reset.
StipeMiocic
After being booked with Junior dos Santos, who pulled out with an injury, Miocic made a pay cheque by wailing on the fearless but overmatched Fabio Maldonado in May.
Miocic is a hot property at heavyweight these days, coming into his own with a blend of mean spirits, good wrestling and impressive boxing. He’s ranked in the Top Five (and will probably move up now thanks to Silva’s loss) and could use a veteran scalp to shoot him into title talk.
Silva might have something to say about that, so lock them in the cage and let them work it out.
Josh Barnett
Barnett has been on the sidelines since a loss in December to Travis Browne, but he recently won a grappling match against Dean Lister at Metamoris and looks like he’s probably primed to get back in the cage soon.
If he is, a battle with Bigfoot would be fairly appealing, as both men are absolute animals with skill sets that match up nicely.
Bigfoot probably has more straight-up knockout power on the feet, but Barnett is a better grappler and is more dangerous there with strikes. Both are veterans of the game, perennial contenders everywhere they’ve ever fought, and it could be a fight to hammer out which one will remain relevant and which will become fodder for up-and-comers going forward.
Plenty to like here.
Mark Hunt/Roy Nelson Loser
Who wouldn’t want to see Silva in there with either of these guys?
His first bout with Hunt was a draw turned to a no-contest in late 2013 and was one of the greatest fights in the history of heavyweight MMA combat. The two beat each other from pillar to post for 25 minutes, producing (and absorbing) a bewildering amount of violence in that time. Doing it again would make everyone happy.
And if you couldn’t get Hunt? Well, is there anyone closer than Roy Nelson?
Nelson has the same heavy hands as Hunt only with a better understanding of grappling and how to execute it. That said, it’s been a long time since ol‘ Roy tried to put someone away with anything other than his vicious overhand right, so there’s a good chance he and Silva would put on a show.
It almost doesn’t matter who wins or loses next weekend in Japan. The fans would come out on top either way.
September is a month for rebirth. It’s for getting back to business. For remembering what really matters.
It’s been a pretty tough stretch lately for MMA fans. So how about we talk about some fights?
With well over a dozen September ev…
September is a month for rebirth. It’s for getting back to business. For remembering what really matters.
It’s been a pretty toughstretch lately for MMA fans. So how about we talk about some fights?
With well over a dozen September events on tap across the MMA landscape, it’s a busy 30 (now just 20) days. And the real fans have to stay on top of things. You must dig into the meat of the schedule. You have to know more than the next guy, or else you will find yourself too embarrassed to ever go into that bar again. You don’t want that, do you? It’s a nice bar. They’re just getting to know your name. You can’t just walk away from that kind of time investment.
Don’t worry. We here at The Beaten Path prospect series are here to help you out. What follows are the five most interesting prospects in action this month, fighting in one of the various non-UFC promotions out there. These are the up-and-coming stars of the sport, and we’re giving them to you before the masses get to them. Jump on the bandwagon while the jumping’s good, and do your best to enjoy what’s left of this busy month of combat sports action.
They always say you can’t go home.