On the main card from tonight’s (Sat. April 15, 2017) UFC on FOX 24 event from Kansas City, Missouri, a pivotal middleweight bout between No. 3-ranked Ronaldo Souza and No. 6-ranked Robert Whittaker. Jacare came into the fight on a two-fight win streak since suffering a controversial split decision loss to Yoel Romero, and Whittaker
On the main card from tonight’s (Sat. April 15, 2017) UFC on FOX 24 event from Kansas City, Missouri, a pivotal middleweight bout between No. 3-ranked Ronaldo Souza and No. 6-ranked Robert Whittaker.
Jacare came into the fight on a two-fight win streak since suffering a controversial split decision loss to Yoel Romero, and Whittaker was on an amazing six-fight win streak after having made the jump up to 185 pounds.
In the first round Souza attempted to get the fight to the ground, as expected, but Whittaker was able to keep the fight standing and scramble out of a few dangerous spots on the mat. Whittaker set up his left hook to end the round.
To open up the second round Whittaker again returned to his left hook and found a home for it multiple times, eventually rocking his Brazilian counterpart a few times. After a nasty head-kick and a few unanswered strikes on the ground, the referee waived the bout off and ‘The Reaper’ earned the biggest win of his mixed martial arts (MMA) career.
Whittaker officially took home a second round TKO win over Souza at the 3:28 mark.
You can check out the full fight video highlights here:
For the second straight weekend, a UFC event featured a major middleweight matchup in a featured slot on the card, as renowned jiu-jitsu player Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza took on upstart Australian Robert Whittaker in Kansas City, Missouri.
The bout w…
For the second straight weekend, a UFC event featured a major middleweight matchup in a featured slot on the card, as renowned jiu-jitsu player Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza took on upstart Australian Robert Whittaker in Kansas City, Missouri.
The bout was an opportunity for both men to stake their claim to positioning in the ongoing evolution of the middleweight title picture, and it didn’t disappoint. Whittaker took advantage of the big stage of Fox on a Saturday night, taking home the biggest win of his life in a somewhat one-sided, entertaining affair.
Whittaker looked slicker and more mobile early in the first round, with Souza attempting to close distance and get his hands on the shifty former welterweight. When he eventually did, there was a heated scramble; however, Whittaker did a great job of protecting himself and getting things back upright.
It was a sign of things to come and also not something seen often—a person standing up once Souza takes them down.
When it was back on the feet it was apparent the stand-up battle was one of skill against power, as Whittaker showcased movement and a clean jab, while Souza winged power shots over the top in hopes to scoring a home run blow. The discrepancy in quickness was incredibly apparent, and after five minutes, Whittaker had secured himself a 10-9 lead.
The second was more of the same in the early going, punctuated by a savage right hand right down the middle that put Jacare on dream street. Though he shook out the cobwebs and bought himself some time, Whittaker continued to pour it on and score points with a blend of technical striking and power shots of his own.
Another knockdown moments later, and there was no chance to reset things. Whittaker landed a head kick and chased the Brazilian to the ground, where referee Mario Yamasaki eventually decided to halt things once Souza‘s defense began to lose its enthusiasm.
It was a tour de force for Whittaker, a prospect-turned-contender over the past year or so who has quite evidently found a home at 185 pounds. This win is the signature he needed to get his name in the mix with the big dogs, and a bout with Luke Rockhold or Yoel Romero might make more sense than anything at this point.
It’s also a devastating setback for Souza, who looked every bit of his 37 years in this one. It’s hard not to wonder if all the years of sitting around and waiting for others to get their title shots figured out might not have cost him his best chance to get one for himself.
He’ll need at least two wins before the end of the year to get back into title talks, and he won’t want to take a major step down in competition, so maybe a rematch with GegardMousasi or a shot at former champ Chris Weidman could work.
The UFC heads to Kansas City, Missouri, for the first time with one of their strongest Fox cards to date.
Headlining the action will be Demetrious Johnson. The UFC flyweight champion is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport today and p…
The UFC heads to Kansas City, Missouri, for the first time with one of their strongest Fox cards to date.
Headlining the action will be Demetrious Johnson. The UFC flyweight champion is arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport today and possibly ever. He is top notch in every facet of the game. “Mighty Mouse” is closing in on Anderson Silva’s title defense record (10). A win will see Johnson tie the mark.
Perhaps the most compelling matchup on the card is the co-main event.
Strawweight contenders Michelle Waterson and Rose Namajunas meet for the first time inside the cage. They are two of the most marketable and promising strawweights on the roster, and a big win on Saturday could see them as the next challenger for the title.
Who does the B/R staff favor in the UFC on Fox 24 main card matchups?
Craig Amos, Steven Rondina, Scott Harris and, myself, Nathan McCarter are here once again to give you our thoughts. Pull up and chair and gander at who we picked to get their hand raised in each of the four main card tilts this Saturday.
The UFC heads to Kansas City, Missouri, with a stacked offering on Fox this Saturday, April 15. In the main event, longtime flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson looks to tie the UFC record for title defenses with his 10th victory, facing veteran compe…
The UFC heads to Kansas City, Missouri, with a stacked offering on Fox this Saturday, April 15. In the main event, longtime flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson looks to tie the UFC record for title defenses with his 10th victory, facing veteran competitor Wilson Reis.
While the main event is compelling, largely because Johnson is such an incredible and accomplished talent with history in his sights, it’s the rest of the card that makes this must-see TV.
The co-main event features an outstanding strawweight fight, potentially a title eliminator, between former top contender Rose Namajunas and the surging Michelle Waterson. It’s a crackerjack of a matchup and one with real meaning.
The same is true for the third fight on the main card, a meeting of elite middleweights between Ronaldo Souza and Robert Whittaker. Souza has been one of the best 185-pounders on the planet for the last decade, and Whittaker is the most talented young fighter in the division.
The rest of the event features strong and meaningful action. The main-card opener between Jeremy Stephens and Renato Moicano should be a barn-burner, and practically every fight on the undercard is well-matched and compelling.
Keep an eye on the Fight Pass bout between Aljamain Sterling and Augusto Mendes and the debut of uber-prospect Tom Duquesnoy on the early Fox prelims.
Yoel Romero and Jacare Souza are not too pleased with the breaking news that was announced earlier today (Wed. March 1, 2017). UFC President Dana White went on SportsCenter earlier today to make the announcement that former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will make his Octagon return against Michael Bisping later this year for the
Yoel Romero and Jacare Souza are not too pleased with the breaking news that was announced earlier today (Wed. March 1, 2017).
UFC President Dana White went on SportsCenter earlier today to make the announcement that former UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will make his Octagon return against Michael Bisping later this year for the middleweight title. St-Pierre gets the shot at the 185-pound title before the No. 1 and 3-ranked Romero and Souza.
Romero comes off of a third round knockout win over Chris Weidman at UFC 205 from Madison Square Garden this past November via flying knee. The win extended the Cuban’s win streak to eight and made him the prime candidate to challenge the Englishman for the strap next.
‘The Soldier Of God’s’ management reacted to the news through MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, who tweeted Romero’s response to the news of Bisping vs. GSP earlier today:
From Romero's mgmt: "We don't have any comment right now other than Yoel wishes GSP well in his return. He'll talk more about this soon."
Another man with a claim to a shot at the 185-pound title is Jacare Souza who is currently on a two-fight win streak. The Brazilian’s latest victory saw him take home a dominant win over Tim Boetsch at UFC 208 this past month, when he locked in a Kimura for the first round submission.
Helwani also Tweeted a response from Jacare’s management which you can check out here:
From Jacare's management: "Michael 'The Count' Bisping is now Michael 'The King' Bisping, he just got promoted! Money fights win again."
UFC 208 is almost upon us, and the company’s second return to New York is finally here—except this time, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn will be hosting the event, unlike Madison Square Garden back in November.
The first pay-per-view of 201…
UFC 208 is almost upon us, and the company’s second return to New York is finally here—except this time, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn will be hosting the event, unlike Madison Square Garden back in November.
The first pay-per-view of 2017 may not have the star power that UFC 205, 206 or 207 had, but this is a sneaky-good card for the diehard UFC fans. More so than the inaugural featherweight title up for grabs between Holly Holm and Germaine deRandamie, there are also a couple of really interesting fights, including Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson and JacareSouza vs. Tim Boetsch.
Holly Holm vs. Germaine deRandamie
This is a tough fight for Holm.
The UFC isn’t doing Holm any favors by putting her in the Octagon against De Randamie, a world champion kickboxer and muaythai champion. Holm is in desperate need of a victory on Saturday not only to make history, but to keep her UFC career alive.
Holm isn’t in any danger of getting released by the company or anything of that nature, but a third consecutive loss would make Holm a tough sell to its fans in a time when the new UFC owners and matchmakers are scrambling to put fight cards together to make money.
Holm, for as good as she is on her feet, cannot exchange with a striker like De Randamie, who can overpower Holm standing, in the clinch and on the ground if she has top control.
The best hope for Holm is that she can score a couple of takedowns to disrupt De Randamie‘s rhythm and make her think twice about being too aggressive and overcommitting.
Unfortunately for her, De Randamie will pick her apart and get the finish early in this one and make history as the company’s first-ever 145-pound female champion. Is Cris Cyborg next? We shall see.
Prediction: De Randamie defeats Holm in the second round via TKO.
Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson
The Spider is back.
While Silva hasn’t officially won a UFC fight since 2012 after getting knocked out by Chris Weidman, breaking his leg in the rematch against Weidman, a no-contest against Nick Diaz, a controversial loss to Michael Bisping and a loss to Daniel Cormier, it’s still a little strange to see him as an underdog.
Especially to a fighter like Derek Brunson.
Don’t get me wrong, Brunson is worthy of being a Top 10 fighter in this division, but being favored to beat Silva? That’s a bit steep, if you ask me. Brunson is coming off a tough first-round knockout loss to Robert Whittaker. Before that, Brunson was riding high with a five-fight win streak, including an impressive knockout victory over Uriah Hall.
Brunson is more than capable of stopping any fight with his power and precision as a striker, but Silva is arguably the best male striker the UFC has ever seen. Before he can even think of laying his hands on the former world champion, Brunson has to show that he can withstand Silva’s power and technique.
Prediction: Silva defeats Brunson in the third round via TKO.
JacareSouza vs. Tim Boetsch
When this fight was announced, a lot of pundits were scratching their heads. While this is a huge opportunity for Tim Boetsch to cement himself as a title contender and move up the pecking order for an eventual title shot, it’s hard to see any real benefit for Souza. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose.
And that’s not a good position to be in when you’re a prizefighter.
For The Barbarian, this fight is, stylistically speaking, a bad matchup if Souza can find his way to the mat whether he’s in top control or in full guard. The last thing Boetsch wants to do is play the ground game with Souza, who is one of the world’s most elite grapplers and jiu-jitsu practitioners.
While the Brazilian has shown improvements in his striking over his last few fights, he’s still not an elite-level boxer by any means, which is where Boetsch has a glimmer of hope of taking down his heavily favored opponent.
But leave it to Boetsch to show no fear inside the Octagon against one of the best middleweights in the world. He even predicted that Souza will go down in one round.
Everyone loves an underdog story, and perhaps no other sport sees an underdog win as often as MMA does. However, this is not one of those occasions. Souza is too talented and too disciplined to look past Boetsch and not take this fight seriously.
He will look for the quick finish whether it’s on the feet or on the mat and look immediately for a title shot or a fight against another top contender, maybe a rematch with Luke Rockhold whenever he’s healthy after pulling out against Souza late last year.
Prediction: Souza defeats Boetsch in the first round via submission.
For the second straight weekend, a UFC event featured a major middleweight matchup in a featured slot on the card, as renowned jiu-jitsu player Ronaldo “Jacare”