Tag: Rankings/List

UFC 131: Brock Lesnar and 5 Reasons MMA Fans Love to Hate Him

One only needs to mention the name Brock Lesnar and an array of emotions—mostly negative ones—will be stirred up in even the most calm of mixed martial arts fans.Lesnar, since his UFC debut in 2008 at UFC 81 against Frank Mir, has been not …

One only needs to mention the name Brock Lesnar and an array of emotions—mostly negative ones—will be stirred up in even the most calm of mixed martial arts fans.

Lesnar, since his UFC debut in 2008 at UFC 81 against Frank Mir, has been not a polarizing figure in MMA (because that would imply that approximately equal numbers love and hate him), but rather a figure that fans across the sport loath and bash at any opportunity.

There are many reasons for this hate directed towards Lesnar, but they all fall under the umbrella of five distinct reasons.

What are these reasons? Read and find out.

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Going Medieval: MMA’s 20 Worst Beatdowns

MMA has come a long way. But it hasn’t come that far. Few things in sports touch off a powder keg of emotion like an old-fashioned beatdown. It’s simultaneously compelling and repelling, frightening and exciting. Lots of visceral stuff mixed …

MMA has come a long way. But it hasn’t come that far.

Few things in sports touch off a powder keg of emotion like an old-fashioned beatdown. It’s simultaneously compelling and repelling, frightening and exciting. Lots of visceral stuff mixed up in there.

Here are my picks for the 20 nastiest, most dominant beatdowns in mixed martial arts.

They are not necessarily the goriest, though there will be blood. Oh, there’s blood. And it’s more than just a single flash of leather; it’s sustained dominance. In this case, that dominance tends to come from the striking phase of the game, as I am personally disinclined to measure a beatdown in units of Octagon control. It is a “beat”down, after all, not a “grapple”down.

With that, please enjoy.

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UFC 131: Brock Lesnar Sidelined by Illness, the New Top 10 MMA Heavyweights

Sending shock-waves through the mixed martial arts community, news that Brock Lesnar will not compete at UFC 131 has altered the landscape of the entire heavyweight division.The avalanche of a man who some believed was an impenetrable force was first d…

Sending shock-waves through the mixed martial arts community, news that Brock Lesnar will not compete at UFC 131 has altered the landscape of the entire heavyweight division.

The avalanche of a man who some believed was an impenetrable force was first de-throned by Cain Velasquez to relinquish the UFC heavyweight championship in October of 2010, and now has been sidelined by a second case of diverticulitis.

With his return to the Octagon unknown, most experts state that this bout with the intestinal disorder could place Brock on the shelf for up to one year.

What is certain, however, is that competition amongst the sport’s best heavyweights will battle on.

And, Brock’s absence has had a cascade effect on the sport’s heavyweight division re-shuffling the top 10.

With Lesnar out of the picture, the following is my list of the top 10 heavyweights across all of mixed martial arts including both the UFC and Strikeforce.

I welcome your comments.

Todd Seyler

“Like” me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter @magnus06

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UFC 130 Fight Card: Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson’s Top 10 Career Victories

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is one of the best light heavyweight fighters in the history of the sport; easily in the top 5.Rampage once said he wants to be the highest-paid fighter that the sport had ever seen. It is no secret that he is very much a priz…

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson is one of the best light heavyweight fighters in the history of the sport; easily in the top 5.

Rampage once said he wants to be the highest-paid fighter that the sport had ever seen. It is no secret that he is very much a prize fighter, in it for the paycheck.

Now that he has accomplished so much, as a former champion and still a leading Pay Per View draw, fans hope that his motivation does not wane in the face of his upcoming opponent at UFC 130, Matt Hamill.

Hamill is hungry and motivated and has a style very similar to Jackson’s which should result in an explosive bout.

Although Rampage is the favorite heading into the bout, this is not going to be an easy fight for him.

If he wins, will it be one of his top 10 best victories of all time? If it is convincing enough, it certainly could be.

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UFC 131 Fight Card: A Head-to-Toe Breakdown of Junior Dos Santos vs Shane Carwin

It’s a bout that we all wanted to see happen for a long time, ever since Shane Carwin earned his crack at Brock Lesnar with his UFC 111 win over Frank Mir, to be exact.But it’s a bout that we all thought would stay a fantasy and never truly surface …

It’s a bout that we all wanted to see happen for a long time, ever since Shane Carwin earned his crack at Brock Lesnar with his UFC 111 win over Frank Mir, to be exact.

But it’s a bout that we all thought would stay a fantasy and never truly surface as a legitimate fight, especially when Lesnar came off of a hard-fought split decision win in a bout with diverticulitis to survive a fatal and unquestionable 8-10 first round and submit Shane Carwin with a second-round “Death-Clutch” Arm Triangle choke at UFC 116.

Unfortunately for fans of the former WWE Champion, 2002 WWE King of The Ring, and former UFC Heavyweight Champion, MMA Junkie reports that diverticulitis has engaged in a rematch with the Minnesotan, and thus Lesnar will not be able to face fellow TUF 13 coach Junior “Cigano” Dos Santos at UFC 131.

Stepping in for Lesnar is one of the only two men that fans legitimately believe can and definitely could knock Dos Santos out, and with UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez sidelined until the still-TBA UFC card slated to take place in Houston, that man is none other than Shane Carwin, who will be revamping his game plan to prepare for Dos Santos in lieu of a young and hungry Jon Olav Einemo.

It’s the bout we were close to never actually seeing, and since we now know that it will indeed happen, it’s about time for Yours Truly to run it down from top-to-bottom: this is the head-to-toe breakdown of Junior Dos Santos vs. Shane Carwin!

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Brock Lesnar and 15 Athletes Whose Careers Were Short Changed in Some Way

As reported by MMAFighting.com earlier today, Brock Lesnar has been forced out of his bout against Junior dos Santos at UFC 131.Lesnar has suffered a recurrence of diverticulits. This same illness caused Lesnar to be out of action for over a year follo…

As reported by MMAFighting.com earlier today, Brock Lesnar has been forced out of his bout against Junior dos Santos at UFC 131.

Lesnar has suffered a recurrence of diverticulits. This same illness caused Lesnar to be out of action for over a year following his bout against Frank Mir at UFC 100.

While everyone in the MMA community wishes Lesner a speedy recovery, he is the latest to be added to the list of athletes who have suffered injuries and illnesses that have shortened or ended their careers.

Although there are way too many to list here, I present to you 15 athletes whose careers were unfortunately short changed due to circumstances beyond their control.

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