Tag: Rematch

This Is Why Amanda Nunes Will Beat Valetina Shevchenko…Again

We know everyone is on the Valentina Shevchenko hype train after the win. She dispensed of top contender Juliana Pena in less than two rounds – by armbar nonetheless. However Amanda Nunes is a different animal, and unfortunately for Shevchenko her power and confidence is on the rise.

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Say Hello To The Bad Guy

We know everyone is on the Valentina Shevchenko (14-2) hype train after the win. She dispensed of top contender Juliana Pena (8-3) in less than two rounds – by armbar nonetheless. However Amanda Nunes (14-4) is a different animal, and unfortunately for Shevchenko, her power and confidence is on the rise.

Though we used the term “hype train”, Shevchenko is anything but. A solid striker whose technical skills are trumped only by her toughness, fighting for her seems like a religion. Her obsessive personality means she’s always in the gym, always training, and always getting better; the buddhist monk of the bantamweight division. Although most people think of Shevchenko as a striker, after her crafty performance against Pena last saturday I think it’s clear her skillset is complete.

The reason I’m giving Nunes the nod is more of the intangibles than anything pen and paper. Sure she’s the bigger fighter with the longer reach but so was Holly Holm. Sure she won the first matchup but just ask Urijah Faber, fighters evolve. No, the real reason Nunes will win this matchup is because she has come into her own. She’s like the Bruce Leroy of WMMA, after she got the title shot against Miesha Tate it was like her head was dunked in the water, and she came out a different fighter. She turned from a humble Brazilian to a brash, outspoken, almost heel type figure. She’s got a quiet confidence that you could see in the Ronda Rousey fight when she knew she was going to destroy her. No posing, just focus. Arm in arm with girlfriend and fellow fighter Nina Ansaroff , Amanda Nunes is letting the world know that her power is real, and she’s not apologizing for it.

If you look at her boxing it borders on the line of reckless. An aggressive style with little regard for the counter punch, relying mainly on power and volume. But much like a Conor McGregor, because there is no hesitation the punches come out like heat seeking missiles, devastating her opponents. The way she picked apart Miesha Tate with her power, the way she made short work of Ronda Rousey, these are not things to scoff at, these are very good fighters. This girl’s hands are a problem and I don’t think Shevchenko will be able to solve it.

The real question here is about cardio. Nunes tends to slow down in the later rounds and Shevchenko sets a constant pace that can drag her opponents into deep water. Besides that it seems Shevchenko is also good at reading her opponents and making adjustments on the fly, so if Nunes gets sloppy in the championship rounds things could get interesting. The issue with that logic is what if Nunes doesn’t get tired? One would imagine her coaches are well aware of her past issues and will implement a game plan to get her ready on fight night.

Besides the aforementioned I believe Nunes is the more dynamic striker (as seen in the first matchup) and she can hang with Valentina on the ground (also seen in the first matchup). Either way it will be a good scrap.

What do you guys think of the upcoming bout between Amanda “The Lioness” Nunes and Valentina Shevchenko, who takes the strap?

 

Lionel Harris-Spence is a writer, filmmaker, and functioning alcoholic. You can catch him screaming obscenities at flat screens on fight night.

 

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Dan Henderson Calls For Michael Bisping Rematch And If You Don’t Support This You Are Garbage

Fact: The single greatest moment in the history of MMA was captured in the above image, on the night of July 11, 2009 at UFC 100. It came approximately three minutes and eighteen seconds into the second round of a fight between Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, and as luck would have it, so did nearly every red-blooded American who happened to be witnessing it.

A little backstory. You see, prior to this orgasm-inducing moment, Henderson and Bisping had been engaged in a war of words while coaching opposing teams as part of the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter. And by war of the words, I mean that Bisping spent the majority of the show talking trash, while Hendo opted to just kind of stand around silently while counting down the moments until he would lay a whoopin’ on this arrogant Brit’s ass. When the two finally met in the octagon, well, you know what happened.

Last weekend at UFC 199, both Henderson and Bisping picked up huge, incredibly violent wins over Hector Lombard and Luke Rockhold, respectively. But with the former nearing 50 and the latter suddenly finding himself the middleweight champion, rumblings have once pop up around the web of a potential rematch between the two.

The post Dan Henderson Calls For Michael Bisping Rematch And If You Don’t Support This You Are Garbage appeared first on Cagepotato.

Fact: The single greatest moment in the history of MMA was captured in the above image, on the night of July 11, 2009 at UFC 100. It came approximately three minutes and eighteen seconds into the second round of a fight between Dan Henderson and Michael Bisping, and as luck would have it, so did nearly every red-blooded American who happened to be witnessing it.

A little backstory. You see, prior to this orgasm-inducing moment, Henderson and Bisping had been engaged in a war of words while coaching opposing teams as part of the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter. And by war of the words, I mean that Bisping spent the majority of the show talking trash, while Hendo opted to just kind of stand around silently while counting down the moments until he would lay a whoopin’ on this arrogant Brit’s ass. When the two finally met in the octagon, well, you know what happened.

Last weekend at UFC 199, both Henderson and Bisping picked up huge, incredibly violent wins over Hector Lombard and Luke Rockhold, respectively. But with the former nearing 50 and the latter suddenly finding himself the middleweight champion, rumblings have once pop up around the web of a potential rematch between the two.

It all started when MMAWeekly’s Erik Fontanez, after speaking with Henderson’s camp, tweeted out the following:

The reports were later confirmed by Henderson’s camp, to which Bisping immediately took to Twitter himself to vaguely respond:

Bisping then doubled down during an interview with ESPN by claiming that “As of right now, Luke Rockhold will not be my first defense. That’s a fact. I had to go away and beat three more guys before I got a second shot at Luke. Certainly, after his behavior on Saturday, he should have to go away and do the same. He wasn’t even close.” He also doesn’t seem interested in facing Chris Weidman, which makes sense considering that he’s coming off a loss and shouldn’t have been given an immediate rematch with Rockhold in the first place.

Obviously, a rematch between Bisping and Henderson would make absolutely zero sense from a rankings perspective. Even if he is coming off one of the most brutal wins of his career (which is really saying something for the man), Henderson is a whopping 2-3 in his past five bouts and has been stopped 4 times in 6 defeats dating back to 2013. That being said, DANA PLEASE MAKE THIS HAPPEN AND WE’LL NEVER SPEAK ILL OF YOU AGAIN. Anyone worth their salt seems to agree:

So there you have it: Hendo vs. Bisping is the match that the people want, and since that’s all that matters when handing out title shots, we fully expect to see this fight booked before the weekend is over. Make it happen, Dana.

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Sure, Why Not: Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II Being Eyed For UFC 200


(Pictured Above: What the casual fan thinks “gassing out” means. via Getty)

2016 is quickly turning into the year that the UFC’s matchmaking department threw its hands into the air and said “you know what, screw it.” An immediate rematch for Cain Velasquez? Suuuure. Rousey vs. Tate III? Consider it done! Anderson Silva vs. Uriah Hall? WELL THEY’RE BOTH UNDER CONTRACT, AREN’T THEY?!

So in that regard, perhaps it makes sense that the UFC is now close to finalizing an immediate rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, at welterweight, in the main event of UFC 200.

The post Sure, Why Not: Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz II Being Eyed For UFC 200 appeared first on Cagepotato.


(Pictured Above: What the casual fan thinks “gassing out” means. via Getty)

2016 is quickly turning into the year that the UFC’s matchmaking department threw its hands into the air and said “you know what, screw it.” An immediate rematch for Cain Velasquez? Suuuure. Rousey vs. Tate III? Consider it done! Anderson Silva vs. Uriah Hall? WELL THEY’RE BOTH UNDER CONTRACT, AREN’T THEY?!

So in that regard, perhaps it makes sense that the UFC is now close to finalizing an immediate rematch between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, at welterweight, in the main event of UFC 200.

I mean, sure, Diaz’s win over McGregor at UFC 196 feels so fresh in our minds that some MMA media outlets are still penning think pieces and technique breakdowns on it, and yeah, holding the fight at welterweight again feels like an odd choice considering that both guys are natural lightweights. And I guess if you’re a cynic, you could argue that a win for either Diaz or McGregor at 170 will be utterly pointless in terms of where it puts them in both the welterweight division or either of their respective decisions…

…boy, I really thought I was going to be able to turn that around. I guess I’ll just throw out remind everyone that cash rules everything around us and bugger off.

BREAKING: Frankie Edgar‘s camp has just now offered an official reaction to this fight booking. We now go live to New Jersey…

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Ronda Rousey Has a Very Unorthodox Training Method For Her Rematch With Holly Holm


(I tell you what, if this rematch happens in ballroom dresses and heels, Holm is FUCKED.)

The rate at which Ronda Rousey has changed her tune following her stunning loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 is enough to give anyone whiplash. Prior to the bout, Rousey was doing nothing short of calling her home runs from the plate, claiming that she would “retire undefeated” and “be known as the greatest fighter that ever lived.” Nowadays, she’s already planning her exit strategy from the sport should she lose her rematch to Holm, telling ESPN, “If I lose, I’ll be done with everything.”

And if what we’ve been hearing out of her camp is any indication, that rematch is not going to go well for her. For starters, she’ll be sticking by Edmund Tarverdyan’s side even though the government will soon be seizing all his assets. Secondly, she’ll spend at least a decent chunk of her time away from the octagon filming back-to-back movies, according to a recent interview with Lorenzo Fertitta.

Details after the jump.

The post Ronda Rousey Has a Very Unorthodox Training Method For Her Rematch With Holly Holm appeared first on Cagepotato.


(I tell you what, if this rematch happens in ballroom dresses and heels, Holm is FUCKED.)

The rate at which Ronda Rousey has changed her tune following her stunning loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193 is enough to give anyone whiplash. Prior to the bout, Rousey was doing nothing short of calling her home runs from the plate, claiming that she would “retire undefeated” and “be known as the greatest fighter that ever lived.” Nowadays, she’s already planning her exit strategy from the sport should she lose her rematch to Holm, telling ESPN, “If I lose, I’ll be done with everything.”

And if what we’ve been hearing out of her camp is any indication, that rematch is not going to go well for her. For starters, she’ll be sticking by Edmund Tarverdyan’s side even though the government will soon be seizing all his assets. Secondly, she’ll spend at least a decent chunk of her time away from the octagon filming back-to-back movies, according to a recent interview with Lorenzo Fertitta.

Details after the jump.

Speaking with Sporting News, Fertitta described his recent visit with Rousey, and it’s hard not to find his words a little ominous.

I went out to see her in L.A. Had some real good conversations with her. She is, as you would expect, very disappointed. Distraught, to some extent. She’s never lost. She never lost a fight in the Octagon. She never lost a fight in the street. She didn’t know what it was like. Right? … She is champing to be back in there. She made some commitments before the fight to make two movies. So she’s going to do that. Then get back to training in the Octagon.

We get it, commitments are commitments, but it doesn’t exactly bode well that the same person who described herself as “exhausted” going into UFC 193 (no doubt due to her plethora of media obligations and increasingly demanding Hollywood schedule) will be shooting two movies before getting back to focusing on the biggest fight of her life — especially when one of those movies is a goddamn remake of Road House. It would be like if Rocky got his ass kicked by Clubber Lang in Rocky 3, then went right back to doing Muppets appearances instead of engaging in mildly homoerotic beach sprints like a true champion.

Of course, with the UFC all but forcing Holm to sit out until Rousey is ready to fight, it’s pretty clear to see which way the promotion’s hands are swayed. If Fertitta is to be believed, however, Rousey is simply putting on that crushed, deflated demeanor in order to fool all us easily-swayed media types.

“She has options,” said Fertitta. “But let me tell you what. Ronda is the single most competitive person I’ve ever met in my life. If you don’t think she isn’t ready right now … She’s plotting her comeback. I don’t think anything can stop her from coming back.”

Anything…except Road House 2. 

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And Now, In Actually “Earned” Title Shots: Donald Cerrone Faces Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 17


(via Getty.)

The UFC has rematch fever, babayyy!! Thankfully, this one actually makes the smallest bit of sense.

Nearly three years after they first clashed horns at Fight Night 27, Donald Cerrone and Rafael Dos Anjos will do battle again, only this time, the lightweight title will be on the line. Fox Sports’ Damon Martin broke the news of the Dos Anjos-Cerrone rematch earlier today, which is scheduled to transpire at UFC on FOX 17 in the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida on December 19th.

The post And Now, In Actually “Earned” Title Shots: Donald Cerrone Faces Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 17 appeared first on Cagepotato.


(via Getty.)

The UFC has rematch fever, babayyy!! Thankfully, this one actually makes the smallest bit of sense.

Nearly three years after they first clashed horns at Fight Night 27, Donald Cerrone and Rafael Dos Anjos will do battle again, only this time, the lightweight title will be on the line. Fox Sports’ Damon Martin broke the news of the Dos Anjos-Cerrone rematch earlier today, which is scheduled to transpire at UFC on FOX 17 in the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida on December 19th.

It’s been a long road to the title for “Cowboy,” who has put together an unbelievable 8 consecutive wins since his previous fight with Dos Anjos. Among his list of victims: Edson Barboza, Eddie Alvarez, Ben Henderson, and most recently, John Makdessi. He also made headlines back in July when he threw a not-so-subtle jab at Dos Anjos for being a steroid user via the Twitters:

Dos Anjos was quick to respond, stating “Anthony and Diaz beat your ass did you see what I did to them i’ll make sure to give you the worst beating,” which fits the minimum criteria to throw a “GRUDGE MATCH” stamp on this fight.

Dos Anjos last fought at UFC 185, where he dethroned Anthony Pettis via a one-sided unanimous decision. Meanwhile, former #1 contender (and the last man to defeat Dos Anjos), Khabib Nurmagomedov, can only pick up the occasional fight at a WSOF event. Sad.

Will the Brazilian put another beating on Cerrone, or are we finally entering The Cowboy Era? Give us your predictions in the comments section (if it’s working), Nation.

The post And Now, In Actually “Earned” Title Shots: Donald Cerrone Faces Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 17 appeared first on Cagepotato.

And Now, In Actually “Earned” Title Shots: Donald Cerrone Faces Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 17


(via Getty.)

The UFC has rematch fever, babayyy!! Thankfully, this one actually makes the smallest bit of sense.

Nearly three years after they first clashed horns at Fight Night 27, Donald Cerrone and Rafael Dos Anjos will do battle again, only this time, the lightweight title will be on the line. Fox Sports’ Damon Martin broke the news of the Dos Anjos-Cerrone rematch earlier today, which is scheduled to transpire at UFC on FOX 17 in the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida on December 19th.

The post And Now, In Actually “Earned” Title Shots: Donald Cerrone Faces Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 17 appeared first on Cagepotato.


(via Getty.)

The UFC has rematch fever, babayyy!! Thankfully, this one actually makes the smallest bit of sense.

Nearly three years after they first clashed horns at Fight Night 27, Donald Cerrone and Rafael Dos Anjos will do battle again, only this time, the lightweight title will be on the line. Fox Sports’ Damon Martin broke the news of the Dos Anjos-Cerrone rematch earlier today, which is scheduled to transpire at UFC on FOX 17 in the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida on December 19th.

It’s been a long road to the title for “Cowboy,” who has put together an unbelievable 8 consecutive wins since his previous fight with Dos Anjos. Among his list of victims: Edson Barboza, Eddie Alvarez, Ben Henderson, and most recently, John Makdessi. He also made headlines back in July when he threw a not-so-subtle jab at Dos Anjos for being a steroid user via the Twitters:

Dos Anjos was quick to respond, stating “Anthony and Diaz beat your ass did you see what I did to them i’ll make sure to give you the worst beating,” which fits the minimum criteria to throw a “GRUDGE MATCH” stamp on this fight.

Dos Anjos last fought at UFC 185, where he dethroned Anthony Pettis via a one-sided unanimous decision. Meanwhile, former #1 contender (and the last man to defeat Dos Anjos), Khabib Nurmagomedov, can only pick up the occasional fight at a WSOF event. Sad.

Will the Brazilian put another beating on Cerrone, or are we finally entering The Cowboy Era? Give us your predictions in the comments section (if it’s working), Nation.

The post And Now, In Actually “Earned” Title Shots: Donald Cerrone Faces Rafael Dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 17 appeared first on Cagepotato.