Frankie Edgar is somehow still improving, ladies and gents.
At 33 years old with 23 pro fights under his belt, Edgar should have shown us his full array of skills inside the cage by now.
We’ve seen him in title fights and in No. 1 contender’s fi…
Frankie Edgar is somehow still improving, ladies and gents.
At 33 years old with 23 pro fights under his belt, Edgar should have shown us his full array of skills inside the cage by now.
We’ve seen him in title fights and in No. 1 contender’s fights, we’ve seen him traverse two weight classes, we’ve seen him coach The Ultimate Fighter and, if you were paying close enough attention, we also caught a glimpse of his home and his personal life.
Really, there isn’t much about Frankie Edgar we haven’t been tuned into, and yet “The Answer” stepped up at UFC Fight Night 57 and looked better than ever, dismantling top challenger Cub Swanson for five rounds before finishing the deed with a last-second submission (literally).
The win was arguably the best of Edgar’s career, and such a performance begs the question: “Just how good is Frankie Edgar anyway?”
He’s damn good. His heart, his cardio and his will to win isn’t going anywhere, and his offensive wrestling and top control have looked downright phenomenal in his past two fights, one against BJ Penn and one against Swanson.
He finished each fight before the final bell and barely ate a punch while doing so. Before the fight with Swanson, Edgar was ranked No. 3 in the division, so there’s not much more vertical movement he can achieve before challenging for Jose Aldo’s title (again).
Ricardo Lamas is out to pick a fight, and his sights are set on Conor McGregor.
The former featherweight title challenger is fresh off one of the most impressive performances of his career: a first-round submission victory over Dennis Bermudez last wee…
Ricardo Lamas is out to pick a fight, and his sights are set on ConorMcGregor.
The former featherweight title challenger is fresh off one of the most impressive performances of his career: a first-round submission victory over Dennis Bermudez last weekend at UFC 180. Now, the Chicago native isn’t wasting any time looking for his next opponent. The Bully wants to get his hands on the surging Irish talent in the worst way and has no qualms with vocalizing his intentions to do so.
“I want to fight ConorMcGregor next,” Lamas told Bleacher Report. “He’s had a lot to say on Twitter and talked a lot of trash, calling me a p—y and whatever. Then when someone asks you who you want to fight and there is a guy out there calling you a p—y, what do you think I’m going to say? Of course I want to fight McGregor.”
In his eyes, Lamas believes the the SBG Ireland representative has been given a handcrafted path through the ranks of the 145-pound fold. And while Lamas takes nothing away from the talents of McGregor‘s opponents, he’s also quick to point out how well their respective styles suited the Dublin native’s strengths.
With a divisional upper tier packed with as many talented wrestlers as the featherweight fold currently holds, Lamas believes McGregor‘s matchups thus far under the UFC banner are a bit suspect.
In addition to the hard-charging former No. 1 contender being baffled by McGregor‘s sudden emergence into title contention, Lamas is even more confused by McGregor‘s decision to take a step back in the rankings to face Dennis Siver next year in Boston. Yet while Lamas suggests McGregor being paired with the German striker is another example of the Irishman trying to avoid facing a wrestler, he’s not going to let up on his pursuit of a fight with the brash-talking contender.
“He’s definitely a good name for the sport and brings a lot of attention to our weight class, but I just feel like the UFC has set him up with guys that match up well to his style,” Lamas said. “I’m not saying they are setting him up with easy fights, because the guys he’s fighting are tough guys in their own right, but they have been guys who are going to stand there and strike with him and not try to take him down. Even if they did, they are guys who don’t have the wrestling experience to technically do it or make it count.
“These are guys who aren’t wrestlers and don’t come from a wrestling background. Diego Brandao is a jiu-jitsu guy, but he stands and strikes with everyone he faces. I think the UFC may be protecting their investment a little bit. I have also heard that his camp has specifically told the UFC not to match him up against wrestlers. So it’s just kind of one of those things where if he’s going to fight for the title, then he should have to go through a wrestler first. There are a lot of us up here at the top of the division. There’s myself, Cub [Swanson], Frankie [Edgar] and there’s Bermudez. We are all top guys who are all wrestlers, and none of us have fought him yet.
“Then he goes and calls out Dennis Siver?” he added. “That fight doesn’t even make sense to me. After beating Dustin Poirier, you’re going to go call out Dennis Siver, who has a lower ranking? It doesn’t make any sense.”
While Lamas has decided to pursue a bout with McGregor, there is another former title challenger in Chad Mendes who has taken aim in Lamas’ direction. The Team Alpha Male standout’s management recently told UFC Tonight’s Ariel Helwani, via MMAFighting.com, that Money wants Lamas to be his next opponent. And while the Team Top Notch representative believes their paths will certainly cross eventually, now is not that time.
Or maybe it is. Lamas is pulling no punches on his quest for McGregor, but he could also see the UFC lining him up with Mendes instead. He’s gunning for another shot at the featherweight crown and is determined to get there no matter whom they put in front of him.
“When I came off the loss in my title fight with Jose Aldo, I asked to fight Bermudez,” Lamas said. “The UFC told me that wasn’t going to happen and that I needed to build myself back up. They said we weren’t on the same path, and that’s the same thing with Mendes right now. If I can’t land this fight with McGregor, it will probably end up being Chad and I, but we’ll see what the UFC wants to do.
“I’m going back after that title, but I want to fight McGregor next.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
For a highly anticipated fight card marred by injuries to its premiere fighters and an ongoing crisis in Mexico, UFC 180: “Werdum vs. Hunt” turned out to be quite the showcase.
UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, who had a card built entirely around him for the promotion’s first trip to the country with support from Diego Sanchez and Erik Perez, had to bow out of a title fight against Fabricio Werdum a few weeks removed from the championship encounter. This was after both Perez and Sanchez were already out with of their respective scraps with wounds.
When it comes to the champion, there’s always a lingering concern about his injuries. Multiple setbacks which required surgery (including his latest) has seen Velasquez fight six times in four years, against three different opponents.
But the show must go on, which means the attention turned to Werdum and a combat sports legend serving as an unexpected title challenger in an interim heavyweight championship bout.
For a highly anticipated fight card marred by injuries to its premiere fighters and an ongoing crisis in Mexico, UFC 180: “Werdum vs. Hunt” turned out to be quite the showcase.
When it comes to the champion, there’s always a lingering concern about his injuries. Multiple setbacks which required surgery (including his latest) has seen Velasquez fight six times in four years, against three different opponents.
But the show had to go on, which means the attention turned to Werdum and a combat sports legend serving as an unexpected title challenger in an interim heavyweight championship bout.
Mark Hunt, the main event replacement fighter who lost his UFC debut to Sean McCorkle and presumably left Zuffa brass doing the triple facepalm after agreeing to serve him his owed fights, had the possibility of sending every UG alumnus into an ejaculation frenzy by winning a UFC belt in 2014.
Werdum, on the other hand, would solidify his status as a well-deserved second best heavyweight in the world by winning, really flourishing in his second UFC stint.
Right off the bat, the battle was on. Hunt dropped Werdum, and consistently blasted “Vai Cavalo” every time the latter would try to close the distance. It was looking like the former Pride and K-1 slugger was going to achieve the impossible.
Then, he died by the gun.
Werdum clocked Hunt with a flying knee, following up with punches and left Herb Dean no choice but to call it a night for the “Super Samoan.” It was the perfect conclusion to a surprisingly great night of fights. The result was a disappointing one for Hunt, however, at least he got his chance. It’s nice to see a veteran like him acquire a shot at glory when opportunities like that are so limited in today’s MMA game. It’s not like he’s one to talk his way into things.
Now, Werdum’s chin isn’t great, but he could take a bomb of a shot. This also solidifies Werdum as something pretty significant in terms of the greatest heavyweights of all-time in MMA, but it’s hard to say what. He’s not Muhammed Ali by any stretch of the imagination, yet in the world of MMA, you’ve got to give this guy a boatload of praise. He’s a decorated, multi-time world jiu-jitsu champion, he more or less sent Fedor Emelianenko into a downward spiral back in 2010 by doing something unheard of at the time, and since losing a lackluster bout in Strikeforce to Alistair Overeem in 2011, he’s on an impressive five-fight winning streak in the UFC, with finishes over Hunt, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and lopsided decision wins against Travis Browne and Roy Nelson. Obviously, we have to wait for Velasquez to come back in order to see where the Brazilian fits in the grand scheme of things. Truthfully, he’s best active heavyweight in MMA right now, after a lengthy career competing for the top organizations in the world.
Gastelum finished off Jake Ellenberger by rear naked choke in the co-main event, sending the latter into a downward spiral of his own. The Ultimate Fighter 17 winner is looking like one of the better prospects to emerge from the exhaustive and overdone reality show in recent memory, and it’s time for the old “step up in competition” treatment, which means a top five foe. As for the “Juggernaut,” he’s still good enough to beat anyone you could think of that lives on a Fight Pass prelim, but he’s in some hot water, suffering his third consecutive defeat. Then again, you try beating Rory MacDonald, Robbie Lawler, and a 23-year-old stud.
It’s nice to see the UFC mention Conor McGregor every time there’s a featherweight contest, and last night was no different. Before Ricardo Lamas and Dennis Bermudez engaged in warfare, the broadcast team talked about how these two heavy-hitters had to talk trash to generate interest, since the savior of Ireland does that. It certainly can’t be because they choose to fight for a living and maybe a psychological edge would be to get inside each other’s heads?
In the end, Lamas prevailed, choking out Bermudez with a guillotine, and proved he’s still a force in the 145-pound division — even if the champion Jose Aldo outclassed him at the beginning of the year at UFC 169.
With four first-round finishes and an exciting main event rounding up the main card, you could make the complaint that UFC 180 wasn’t worth the price tag after so many injuries. However, it really served its purpose. With the risk of lot of eyeballs being drawn to that free Spike TV broadcast, it was the best case scenario for the Las Vegas-based organization we have grown to love and (sometimes) hate.
Even those fights that opened up the card, featuring four fighters the average fan is probably unfamiliar with, were both over in the first round and proved to be appropriate fights setting the pace for the night’s flow. The live crowd should be acknowledged, too, as they soaked up every moment, and gave the impression that they were unaware of any sort of unfortunate occurrences, whether it be dealing with UFC 180 or otherwise.
Also, maybe competition helps in the long run, since everyone is talking about the ironically placed counter-promoted shows all at once. Bellator offered the fans a season 11 finale full of violence, nurses as valets to the fighters, and a freaking WCW circa 1992 ramp, while WSOF had an appealing yet darkened fight card, that saw an exiled UFC “gatekeeper” stopped in the main event at WSOF 15. But like you’d expect, UFC was the big winner last night, and they didn’t even win by default; its fighters deserve the praise for salvaging what looked like another average PPV offering. Hell, even the prelims were great. Quick and slick finishes, two TUF: Latin America finale bouts you probably overlooked, an ear explosion complete with a burst of bloodshed, and someone shitting his pants. Come on…we can’t possibly complain here.
And in retrospect, it was hard not to feel bad for Zuffa with the UFC 180 setbacks, even though it’s been more of a benefit of the doubt relationship at this point. But certain events went down the way they did, proving it was the best-case scenario for the brass. The UFC was dealt an ace with this one.
UFC 180, an important foray into Mexico for the promotion, was nothing short of a resounding success.
A stacked card offered fans plenty of thrilling Round 1 finishes, the lone exception on the main card being a surprisingly competitive main event betw…
UFC 180, an important foray into Mexico for the promotion, was nothing short of a resounding success.
A stacked card offered fans plenty of thrilling Round 1 finishes, the lone exception on the main card being a surprisingly competitive main event between Fabricio Werdum and Mark Hunt.
Careers were made, title shots were earned and gritty matches entered memorable territory in short amounts of time Saturday night, which is what the card set out to accomplish. Even the preliminaries saw some superb action and unexpected results to help build anticipation for the main card.
The entirety of the event featured noteworthy results, with some key lessons to digest before the next major round of matches are set in stone.
UFC 180 Results
Top Takeaways
Ricardo Lamas Still Has it
A few fights removed from a loss at the hands of Jose Aldo in a title bout, Ricardo Lamas hit UFC 180 with something to prove: that he is still a contender at 145 pounds.
He most certainly is after ripping off a wicked guillotine choke of Dennis Bermudez in the first round.
The Bully is now 15-3 and has two wins in a row after the loss to Aldo back in February. MMAFighting.com broke down just how much Saturday’s win meant to Lamas:
Lamas is not flashy, so in a way it makes sense that he is still so underrated despite taking down most credible fighters in the division. Putting an emphatic end to Bermudez‘s seven-fight streak in front of an international audience certainly does not hurt his reputation, though.
Next, Lamas apparently wants a shot at ConorMcGregor, although that may be wishful thinking with McGregor on the fast track to a title shot of his own. Marc Raimondi of Fox Sports has the details:
With his stock once again high, another title shot will eventually be within reach for Lamas. It is quite apparent his form is still elite and that he can finish fights via strikes or submissions, so expect him to turn this win into a contender bout before a potential title shot.
Lamas is not going anywhere just yet.
Hector Urbina Is Here to Stay
The story is much the same for Hector Urbina, who made his UFC debut Saturday.
A veteran with more than 20 fights under his belt, many were wondering if Urbina was even right for the main card. At first it appeared those concerns were warranted, too, as Edgar Garcia tagged him a few times and looked to be on the way to a victory.
Urbina recovered, though, and eventually locked in a high-elbow guillotine choke to get the submission victory.
As MMAFighting.com puts into perspective, Garcia was one of the hottest fighters Urbina could have possibly met in the Octagon:
Not many expected the win for Urbina, who bumps his record to 17-8. But had he not come out so fired up and overzealous, he probably would not have needed so much time to put a finish to the fight given his superb form.
Where Urbina goes from here is difficult to say. The savvy veteran can hang with some of the bigger names in the division when he is on like he was against Garcia, but consistency is key now that he has one win under his belt with the promotion.
To say the foundation of a great run has been formed is an understatement.
Werdum’s Rightful Place
Time to acknowledge Werdum, folks.
For more than two years, Werdum has been one of the hottest fighters on the globe and a worthwhile No. 1 contender in the heavyweight division. He was finally due to get his shot but instead had to settle for a dance with Hunt.
To his credit, Hunt came out firing on all cylinders and landed a few of his trademark gargantuan punches. Werdum stubbornly stood in there and took the punishment, though, before delivering a brutal flying knee to end things in quick fashion.
As Guilherme Cruz notes, Werdum took quite the underdog path to his interim title:
Around the time of Werdum’s slump some two years ago, nobody on the globe would have guessed he would be finishing fights with strikes at such a high level right now. But that continued development stands as a testament to just how much one of UFC’s top names has evolved.
Werdum’s strength is still on the mat. But to stand in with one of the better strikers in the promotion and use technical savvy to bait and eventually pummel a workhorse such as Hunt is noteworthy.
As far as a top name to represent the promotion goes, Werdum is doing quite well for himself, as captured by Ariel Helwani:
Up next is undoubtedly a dance with Cain Velasquez. Given his surreal balance once thought impossible, Werdum is not as big of an underdog in that potential bout as some may think.
In front of a friendly crowd, Werdum revealed to the globe that he is not quite ready to leave the spotlight. In fact, he may be just entering it after a long wait.
Note: Stats and info courtesy of UFC.comunless otherwise specified.
(“Great news, everybody! Fabricio and I worked out our differences backstage, and we’ve decided not to fight. So…yeah. Take care and enjoy the fajitas.” / Photo via Getty)
Our goiAlex Giardini will be hustling out round-by-round UFC 180 results from the PPV main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and shoot us your thoughts in the comments section or on twitter. ¡Gracias, amigos! (That’s all I got.)
(“Great news, everybody! Fabricio and I worked out our differences backstage, and we’ve decided not to fight. So…yeah. Take care and enjoy the fajitas.” / Photo via Getty)
Our goiAlex Giardini will be hustling out round-by-round UFC 180 results from the PPV main card starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and shoot us your thoughts in the comments section or on twitter. ¡Gracias, amigos! (That’s all I got.)
UFC 180 Preliminary Card Results
– Yair Rodriguez def. Leonardo Morales via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
– Alejandro Perez def. Jose Quinonez via unanimous decision (29-26×2, 28-27)
– Jessica Eye def. Leslie Smith via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 1:30 of R2
– Gabriel Benitez def. Humberto Brown via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:30 of R3
– Henry Briones def. Guido Canneti via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:44 of R2
– Marco Beltran def. Marlon Vera via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
Round one: Urbina opens up with a wild right hand that misses. He lands a right shortly after. Urbina lands a leg kick, but takes a solid punch from Garcia. Urbina throws a kick to the body, but it’s caught by Garcia, who brings him down and takes his back. Garcia has the hooks in, softening him up to the dome. He flattens him, and decks Urbina with some solid shots. Urbina is trying to fight him off, and ends up on top after his opponent lost his positioning. Urbina scrambles and gets a hold of Garcia’s neck for an anaconda choke. Garcia pushes through, getting back to his feet. Some clinch work near the fence, and Urbina slaps the anaconda choke out after his foe went for the takedown. It’s a real tight grip, and Garcia taps out.
Hector Urbina def. Edgar Garcia via submission (guillotine choke) at 3:38 of R1
Heritage is something in which Ricardo Lamas takes a tremendous amount of pride.
The product of a Cuban father and a Mexican mother—two countries where heart and the fighting spirit are signature attributes of their athletes—the future…
Heritage is something in which Ricardo Lamas takes a tremendous amount of pride.
The product of a Cuban father and a Mexican mother—two countries where heart and the fighting spirit are signature attributes of their athletes—the future featherweight title challenger aspired to embody those qualities that produced so many great fighters before him.
Fortunately for Lamas, it didn’t take him long to discover those elements were ingrained in his genes, and he’s been putting them to the test on his mission to become the best 145-pound fighter in the world.
And while there have been setbacks along the way, those are the moments where the Chicago native’s true fabric and mettle are brought front and center.
The 32-year-old MMA Top Notch representative had his four-fight winning streak snapped early this year when he came out on the business end of his long-awaited title tilt with featherweight king Jose Aldo.
“The Bully” had spent the majority of 2013 jockeying for a shot at the Brazilian phenom, and when that opportunity eventually materialized at UFC 169 back in February, the Nova Uniao product simply proved to be too much.
In the chaos that is the current title picture at 145 pounds, the loss to Aldo could have easily sent Lamas to the outer reaches of the divisional top 10. Yet he wasted no time getting back into the Octagon and the win column as he defeated scrappy Brazilian Hacran Dias four months later at Fight Night 44.
Not only did his victory over Dias serve to assist Lamas in shaking off his first loss since 2010, but it also put him right back into the heated mix of the featherweight division’s upper tier, where every fight comes equipped with potential title implications.
That said, Lamas doesn’t expect his upcoming bout against surging upstart Dennis Bermudez to catapult him to the front of the crowded line in the featherweight mix, but it is precisely the caliber of fight he’s looking for.
“The Menace” is a on a seven-fight winning streak, and Lamas would love nothing more than to stop that cold. But perhaps more importantly, on a personal level fighting in front a huge crowd in Mexico has been something he’s aspired to do for as long as he can remember.
Therefore, stepping into the cage at UFC 180 this Saturday night in Mexico City will be one of the biggest moments of his career, one he’s determined to make memorable.
“As soon as we found out the UFC was going to Mexico City we were immediately on the phone bugging Sean Shelby about getting on this card,” Lamas told Bleacher Report. “Sean is pretty good about giving us what we want, but he didn’t promise us anything, so we were kind of waiting around for a little bit. But he came through, and now I’m fighting in Mexico City. I’m really excited about that.
“This is a great fight and has the potential to be the ‘Fight of the Night.’ Giving the fans a good show they can enjoy is the main thing I’m concerned with. I’m coming to win. We are fighting in Mexico City, and I feel I’m going to have the home-court advantage there. I’m going to be comfortable and will have the support of the crowd. It’s going to be a great night.
“I think a win over Dennis will put me back into title talk again,” he added. “I know it won’t get me another title shot, but it will put me in a position where one or two more wins will get me back to having an opportunity to fight for the title. I’m excited to get in there and mix it up with Dennis and see what the future holds.”
With Lamas hoping to make another title run in 2015, defeating Bermudez will be a crucial factor in that equation. The Ultimate Fighter Season 14 finalist has been on a tear of late, rocketing up the featherweight ranks on the strength of an impressive seven-fight winning streak. Furthermore, throughout that run the New York native has shown a serious progression with his skill set.
Where Bermudez was once thought to bring a straightforward wrestling attack, his most recent performances have shown a different type of fighter who brings much more than a one-dimensional offense to the cage.
Nevertheless, Lamas believes he’ll have the advantage wherever the fight goes and plans on putting that theory to the test at UFC 180.
“[Bermudez] is a great fighter,” Lamas said. “He’s young and he’s hungry, but I believe the amount of experience I have with being in there with the best in this division is going to make a big difference .There isn’t much he can bring to the table that I haven’t seen yet. He’s a talented fighter, but I believe I’m better than him everywhere, and my abilities are going to outshine his just a bit more on fight night.
“I’m the best fighter I’ve ever been right now. I’m in my prime, and I’m just going to keep growing with each and every fight.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
Ricardo Lamas is out to pick a fight, and his sights are set on 
