There’s a reason why UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has yet to lose in the Octagon and has been so dominant inside the Octagon.Since 2006, nine of Silva’s 14 organizational victories have come by way of knockout against the middleweight divis…
There’s a reason why UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva has yet to lose in the Octagon and has been so dominant inside the Octagon.
Since 2006, nine of Silva’s 14 organizational victories have come by way of knockout against the middleweight division’s best.
Joining Silva is explosive lightweight Melvin Guillard, who owns knockout victories over Shane Roller, Evan Dunham, Waylon Lowe, and Denis Siver among others.
A host of former champions along with a current welterweight contender round out the top six fighters in takedowns landed with five mininum fights according to Fight Metric.
In the world of MMA, KOs and submissions are often par for the course, but occasionally en route to said triumphs, the vanquished can encounter mind boggling injuries—from damaged limbs or in this case deformed broken noses. With regards to the h…
In the world of MMA, KOs and submissions are often par for the course, but occasionally en route to said triumphs, the vanquished can encounter mind boggling injuries—from damaged limbs or in this case deformed broken noses.
With regards to the human physiognomy, save for the eyes, the snout is probably the most easily targeted, given that it lies perilously at the centre of one’s face.
Whilst other injuries are nothing to turn your nose up at (no pun intended), the effect of a mangled nose can lead to difficulty in breathing thus resulting in a fighter who either wants out or becomes completely disorientated.
When that happens it’s near enough a sure-fire sign of defeatism.
With that said, there have been numerous broken conks in mixed martial arts, but let’s take a look at the worst in MMA history.
MMA fans in Ontario are in for a blast in the next few weeks as two great shows are set to go off in our region. Of course, UFC 140 is the big show set for December 10th, at the ACC in Toronto and will feature an incredible main event title match betwe…
MMA fans in Ontario are in for a blast in the next few weeks as two great shows are set to go off in our region. Of course, UFC 140 is the big show set for December 10th, at the ACC in Toronto and will feature an incredible main event title match between Jon Jones and Lyoto Machida. The card will also feature plenty of fights involving this regions top fighters in Mark Hominick, Claude Patrick and Mark Bocek.
Before the big show comes through, The Score Fighting Series and Avantguard Production’s stacked show “Meltdown in the Valley” is also poised to go down Saturday, December 3rd at the RBC Center in Sarnia, Ontario.
Meltdown will showcase Ontario’s best fighters outside of the UFC with headliner and local star John “Haggis Basher” Fraser and Chris “The Menace” Clements scheduled in separate bouts.
The 34-year-old Fraser is a veteran submission wizard and holds a 9-3 record in the cage with eight of those wins coming via armbar or choke. Fraser fights out of Supreme Martial Arts in Sarnia and will be facing fellow submission artist Travis Reddinger in the main event. Fraser is coming off a masterful submission win over Chuck Mady at PFC Border Wars in July. Fraser will be looking to boost his stock with a win and get the attention of the UFC brass.
Ringside and PFC welterweight champion and highlight reel artist Chris “The Menace” Clements is also fighting on the card and has informed me that UFC veteran Rich Clementi has just been secured as his opponent. Clements supplied yet another highlight reel knockout in July with a spinning back kick victory over up and comer from Alberta Travis Briere. The 35-year-old welterweight is also gunning for that one shot in the big show and a solid win over UFC veteran Clementi may be the mark he needs.
The Meltdown card is stacked with a great mix of Canadian veterans and young up-and-comers and should be an electric night of mixed martial arts. The Score Fighting Series has established itself as a very solid, professional regional fight production.
Aside from the local headliners, two very highly anticipated fights are on the card as Canadian pioneer John Alessio will face former Strikeforce and WEC fighter Paul Healy and two of the regions best big men will clash with Misha Cirkunov facing Ali Mokdad.
The life of an MMA fighter is always difficult, but it’s particularly tough when a fighter has to deal with the kind of adversity that the UFC’s Rich Franklin has had to deal with throughout his career. Injuries have slowed the former schoo…
The life of an MMA fighter is always difficult, but it’s particularly tough when a fighter has to deal with the kind of adversity that the UFC’s Rich Franklin has had to deal with throughout his career.
Injuries have slowed the former school teacher turned fighter in recent years, with a torn labrum being the most recent in a string of setbacks.
A former UFC middleweight champion, Franklin had it all for about a three-year window of time when he went undefeated in the Octagon as the top 185-pound fighter in the world.
Unfortunately, that success has not been quite as common in recent years, as he has struggled to stay active due to various minor injuries, as well as a move up to 205 pounds. This most recent injury has taken a toll on the former champ, but he is determined to get back in the cage as soon as possible.
“I’m healing like Wolverine,” he bragged to Inside MMA earlier this week. “Five weeks [after surgery], I’m doing really well. I won’t be able to run until January, so I’m looking at about a June [2012] return.”
Franklin was recently set to fight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133, but Nogueira himself had to drop out of the contest due to a shoulder injury of his own.
Unable to find a suitable replacement for Franklin on such a short notice, Franklin was in turn dropped from the card as well. It was after this that “Ace” sustained his shoulder injury.
“I went into the gym last week and started doing some no-handed drills for jiu-jitsu. Movement drills off my back and stuff like that,” he continued. “I’m itching to get back in the gym, but June should be a realistic time for me.”
With his expectations of being back in June, grumblings regarding for his return fight opponent have begun. Though there is nothing official set, Franklin does have someone in mind.
“I was actually approached by the UFC a couple days after I was injured,” he continued. “They were talking about Tito [Ortiz] and I fighting. I told them, listen, ‘I’m going to have to get an MRI on my shoulder. If it’s non-surgical, then I’ll take the fight. If it is, we’ll have to look at other alternatives.’ “
“That was an appealing fight to me, so we’ll see where things are sitting, come June.”
The consummate professional, Rich “Ace” Franklin has experienced both the highs and lows of the mixed martial arts spectrum.Once coveted as one of the pound-for-pound best, Franklin held the UFC middleweight title when he defeated the late an…
The consummate professional, Rich “Ace” Franklin has experienced both the highs and lows of the mixed martial arts spectrum.
Once coveted as one of the pound-for-pound best, Franklin held the UFC middleweight title when he defeated the late and great Evan Tanner at UFC 53 in June of 2005.
Subsequent title defenses over the likes of The Ultimate Fighter season one veteran Nate Quarry, and perennial contender David “The Crow” Loiseau, anchored Franklin’s legacy.
However, his title reign came to a screeching halt when middleweight kingpin Anderson Silva came into the fray, defeating the former math teacher on two separate occasions, ousting Franklin from the division he once ruled.
A move to the light heavyweight division followed, with Franklin having alternated wins and losses since September of 2008, albeit against top flight competition.
In his last outing, the 37-year-old former world champion lost a decision to the towering Forrest Griffin at UFC 126. Franklin was later scheduled for a bout against Pride veteran Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC 133 this past August, though a subsequent injury sidelined the Brazilian from the event.
UFC president Dana White went on record stating he offered Franklin several replacements, including budding contender Alexander Gustafsson, though “Ace” declined those bouts in favor for a notable “marquee” fight with a big name opponent.
Franklin has since made it a point to clear his name once and for all, holding nothing back about how he feels about the upper echelon of UFC execs.
“I listened to the interview that you did with Dana, and was a bit disappointed…I’ll be honest with you, I was a bit disappointed listening to that, because the tone of the interview between you and Dana almost sounded like that”, began Franklin.
“I thought, first of all, I’ve never ducked any other opponent in my life.”
Not only has Franklin’s trust been violated, but that sense of camaraderie he once felt with the organization he served under for the past eight years, is now gone.
“That feeling of family, it’s dissipated a little bit,” said Franklin.
“It’s not the same as it used to be when I first starting fighting for the UFC, and I basically told Lorenzo (Fertitta—co-owner of the UFC) that. I said, ‘Hey, I feel like sometimes you guys don’t really have my back,’ and he told me that they’d been really busy with the FOX deal and all that kind of stuff.”
After having his return to the Octagon delayed by an Antonio Rogerio Nogueira shoulder injury, Rich Franklin will now have to battle back from a shoulder problem of his own.The 37-year-old Franklin, who had been scheduled to fight Nogueira in August, r…
After having his return to the Octagon delayed by an Antonio Rogerio Nogueira shoulder injury, Rich Franklin will now have to battle back from a shoulder problem of his own.
The 37-year-old Franklin, who had been scheduled to fight Nogueira in August, recently went under the knife to repair a torn labrum he suffered during training. In an interview with MMA Fighting, Franklin said he hopes to return to the cage by June 2012.
Over recent years, injuries have been a significant problem for the former UFC middleweight champion, who also broke his arm in a bout against Chuck Liddell in June 2010. With setbacks eating away at what are likely his final years as a fighter, Franklin will likely be looking for intriguing fights with big-name opponents.
Based on the timetable for his return, here are a few fighters Franklin could be squaring off against when he steps into the Octagon in mid-2012.
