When a fighter goes more than a decade without experiencing the bitter taste of defeat the way Renan Barao had going into UFC 173 back in May, there is a sense of complacency that can settle in. Not to say the former bantamweight king had overlooked the young upstart in T.J. Dillashaw in any way, […]
When a fighter goes more than a decade without experiencing the bitter taste of defeat the way Renan Barao had going into UFC 173 back in May, there is a sense of complacency that can settle in. Not to say the former bantamweight king had overlooked the young upstart in T.J. Dillashaw in any way, […]
The UFC bantamweight division may be in chaos at the current time, but that isn’t slowing down Raphael Assuncao‘s assault on the 135-pound weight class. The 31-year-old Brazilian-turned-Atlanta transplant has started his bantamweight campaign on a flawless run as he’s picked up victories in every one of his four showings in the division. With each […]
The UFC bantamweight division may be in chaos at the current time, but that isn’t slowing down Raphael Assuncao‘s assault on the 135-pound weight class. The 31-year-old Brazilian-turned-Atlanta transplant has started his bantamweight campaign on a flawless run as he’s picked up victories in every one of his four showings in the division. With each […]
Fighters all have something in common that goes much deeper than some cliché about brotherhood among martial artists, or all of them growing up watching The Karate Kid and old Bruce Lee movies before strapping on a set of gloves for the first time. The real heart of fighting comes down to competition—one winner and one […]
Fighters all have something in common that goes much deeper than some cliché about brotherhood among martial artists, or all of them growing up watching The Karate Kid and old Bruce Lee movies before strapping on a set of gloves for the first time. The real heart of fighting comes down to competition—one winner and one […]
If there’s one thing to be said about UFC 160 main event fighter Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, it’s that he has the ability to rise to the occasion when the entire world seems to be counting him out. In February of 2011, Silva was matched up with former pound-for-pound king and heavyweight icon Fedor Emelianenko in […]
If there’s one thing to be said about UFC 160 main event fighter Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva, it’s that he has the ability to rise to the occasion when the entire world seems to be counting him out. In February of 2011, Silva was matched up with former pound-for-pound king and heavyweight icon Fedor Emelianenko in […]
When a fighter loses a fight, they think about what they did wrong, what they did right and how they can avenge their loss. They always want a chance to beat the fighter who beat them, and if they get that chance—and capitalize on it—they g…
When a fighter loses a fight, they think about what they did wrong, what they did right and how they can avenge their loss. They always want a chance to beat the fighter who beat them, and if they get that chance—and capitalize on it—they get the revenge they desire. There have been plenty of […]
(That Nagashima matchup was conveniently labeled an “exhibition” so it’s like it never happened. Except it did happen, and it’s on YouTube, and it’s still a splendidly humorous illustration that karma will occasionally catch up with you, send flying knees into your face, and then laugh while you weep openly.)
While nothing has been made official at this time, we cannot articulate how much we would like to see this bout. Alvarez has continued to develop his game since New Year’s Eve 2008, and Melendez demonstrated a perfect gameplan to beat Aoki. (** Spoiler alert: it involves hitting him until he cries.) Meanwhile, the only part of Aoki’s game that has improved is his asshole persona.
Reportedly, the fight to determine the best lightweight in the world not fighting for Zuffa is being targetted for early 2012 sometime, to take place somewhere. Bellator has stood by its stance that fighters will only get title shots through winning tournaments, so the BFC big gold belt won’t be on the line. Likewise, don’t expect Aoki to put his DREAM title up for grabs either.
Not that titles are what’s important here. Just keep your fingers crossed that this fight goes down.
