Only a handful of UFC fighters are capable of putting impressive streaks together, stringing win after win along as they make their trek toward the top of the divisional mountain.
But even the best fighters in all of the land watch their impressi…
Only a handful of UFC fighters are capable of putting impressive streaks together, stringing win after win along as they make their trek toward the top of the divisional mountain.
But even the best fighters in all of the land watch their impressive streaks come to an end.
Anderson Silva was caught with his hands down against Chris Weidman at UFC 162 as we all saw his impeccable 17-fight win streak come to a screeching halt. Brock Lesnar was overwhelmed by a game Cain Velasquez as we saw his impressive rise to stardom come tumbling back down to reality at UFC 121. Lyoto Machida was clipped by an aggressive Mauricio “Shogun” Rua before most of us could even finish uttering “The Machida Era” after his 16-fight undefeated streak.
Even the great Fedor Emelianenko saw his great reign come to an end, proving he could no longer outmuscle a strong grappler in Fabricio Werdum, outmaneuver a bigger fighter in Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva or absorb the crushing blows of a heavy-handed Dan Henderson.
What goes up must come down; it’s the way nature intended.
Scroll on to see which fighters have seen their recent success come to a halt, losing much of their steam in the process.
(The video is so shitty the embed code wouldn’t even work in our CMS. So instead here’s a link to the video and a picture of a bro-hug. / Photo via Getty.)
You know what’s bullshit?
When a website promises “full fight video highlights” and offers so much less than that.
Watch the video we linked above and tell us those headlines are accurate.
(The video is so shitty the embed code wouldn’t even work in our CMS. So instead here’s a link to the video and a picture of a bro-hug. / Photo via Getty.)
You know what’s bullshit?
When a website promises “full fight video highlights” and offers so much less than that.
Watch the video we linked above and tell us those headlines are accurate. Yeah they’re kind of accurate. Mark Hunt is in the video. Roy Nelson is in the video, too. There’s some face punching. Then some anchor is like “oh yeah and there was a knockout.” Umm, maybe SHOW US the knockout? Because if you don’t show us the end of the fight, it’s not really a video highlighting the “full fight,” is it? It’s a video without the most important part of the fight.
Look, we’re not upset about the SEO. We GET IT. As a mid-tier MMA blog that lacks press credentials, we understand the drive to generate clicks better than most. We’ve arguably done some questionable or sordid things for the almighty page view, but never anything quite this insulting. As we put it on Twitter last night, people crap on CagePotato for being sub-legit, but at least we never straight-up LIE to people.
The above headlines are pretty much lies.
Something like “Hunt vs. Nelson Full Fight Video Highlights: Not the Part You Care About, But Please Click Anyway,” would better describe the video in question.
We’d love to be rebellious show you the actual highlight of the fight via GIFs and Vines, but Zuffa’s lawyers are among our most avid readers. So instead we posted a link to the “full fight highlights” video at the top. It’s a video lacking the only part of the fight you really want to see: The knockout. You’ll have to order Fight Pass if you want to see the full thing. Or, you know, hunt down an illegal GIF somewhere on the Internet. I’m sure that’ll be really difficult to do…
Nelson has a famously durable chin and had only been KO’d once before — by Andrei Arlovski six years ago — which just proves how much deceptive power Hunt carries in those fists of his. Full UFC Fight Night 52 results are after the jump…
Nelson has a famously durable chin and had only been KO’d once before — by Andrei Arlovski six years ago — which just proves how much deceptive power Hunt carries in those fists of his. Full UFC Fight Night 52 results are after the jump…
Main Card
Mark Hunt* def. Roy Nelson via KO, 3:00 of round 2
Myles Jury def. Takanori Gomi via TKO, 1:32 of round 1
Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Amir Sadollah via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
Miesha Tate def. Rin Nakai via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
Kiichi Kunimoto def. Richard Walsh via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
Kyoji Horiguchi def. Jon Delos Reyes via TKO, 3:48 of round 1
Preliminary Card
Masanori Kanehara def. Alex Caceres via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Katsunori Kikuno def. Sam Sicilia via submission (rear naked choke), 1:38 of round 2
Hyun Gyu Lim def. Takenori Sato via TKO, 1:18 of round 1
Kyung Ho Kang def. Michinori Tanaka via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)**
Johnny Case* def. Kazuki Tokudome via submission (guillotine choke), 2:34 of round 2
Maximo Blanco def. Daniel Hooker via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Earned a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus
** Both fighters earned $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses
Roy Nelson had a chance to launch himself into UFC title contention at UFC Fight Night 52. He really did. Taking on sixth-ranked heavyweight Mark Hunt, Nelson found himself facing an almost perfect foe. Hunt isn’t especially nimble, quick and dive…
Roy Nelson had a chance to launch himself into UFC title contention at UFC Fight Night 52. He really did.
Taking on sixth-ranked heavyweight Mark Hunt, Nelson found himself facing an almost perfect foe. Hunt isn’t especially nimble, quick and diverse on the feet. Fighters with those qualities (Junior dos Santos, Stipe Miocic and Fabricio Werdum) give Nelson fits.
Instead, Hunt is, like Nelson, a powerhouse knockout artist. He goes big, and he looks for the kill at all times.
For the impossibly durable Nelson, that’s just fine. Hit Big Country all you want; he’s not going down. He’s proved that fact time and time again throughout his UFC career. Despite losing five times in 12 Octagon appearances, Nelson always had his fate determined by the judges’ scorecards, not by his opponents’ fists.
On the other hand, every time Nelson won, it was violent and definitive. All seven of his UFC wins came via knockout, and a Roy Nelson knockout is not your typical knockout. When Big Country connects, it’s instant unconsciousness, and it’s scary.
The problem with Nelson, then, is that he could never piece his successes together. Fresh off a winning run duringSeason 10 of The Ultimate Fighter that was punctuated by a ferocious knockout of Brendan Schaub in the finale, Nelson entered the UFC’s heavyweight division with considerable momentum.
After knocking out the seven-foot Stefan Struve in his next outing, Nelson quietly entered the title picture. Dos Santos put an end to that, then proceeded to win one more fight and capture the belt for himself.
Sorry, Roy.
Later in Nelson’s career, an impressive three-fight winning streak between May of 2012 and April of 2013 was derailed by Miocic at UFC 161. Looking to build on his successes at the time, Nelson took the fight on short notice against the then-relatively unestablished Ohioan, and he paid for his confidence in blood.
Miocic battered Nelson from bell to bell, easily winning a unanimous decision and sending Big Country back to where he started. Had he defeated the rising star, however, Nelson very well may have challenged for the belt in his next fight. A four-fight winning streak would’ve been difficult to deny.
Sorry, Roy.
Still, Nelson persisted. He ran into a buzz saw named Daniel Cormier after the Miocic fight, but he followed up that decision loss with a main-event victory over aging legend Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 39.
A picture-perfect first-round knockout netted Nelson another main event gig at UFC Fight Night 52, and we’re back to the present day.
Against Hunt, Nelson had the opportunity to take those past failures and flip them on their heads, burying them for eternity. Regardless of his record against top competition, the heavyweight division is thin, and the UFC honors victories.
Back-to-back wins over Nogueira and Hunt would’ve looked fantastic on Nelson’s resume, and there’s no doubt he would have landed a top-five fight after that.
From there, maybe Nelson finally catches an elite foe with that devastating sledgehammer of a right hand, and then he’s fighting for the title. It sounds improbable, especially after Hunt sent Nelson falling to the canvas like a lightning-stricken oak tree, but the reality of the situation is that Nelson was one more win away from UFC gold if he took out Hunt Saturday evening in Japan.
Instead of facing a Miocic, a dos Santos or a Travis Browne in a No. 1 contender’s bout, though, Nelson will fight an Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva or a Jared Rosholt, and he’ll run out of time before he comes close to title contention again.
UFC Fight Night 52 delivered in the wee hours of the morning. From the undercard to the main card, the card from the land of the rising sun gave fans of MMA action throughout.
The card was capped off by a heavyweight tilt between Mark Hunt and Roy Nels…
UFC Fight Night 52 delivered in the wee hours of the morning. From the undercard to the main card, the card from the land of the rising sun gave fans of MMA action throughout.
The card was capped off by a heavyweight tilt between Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson.
It was everything people wanted it to be and more, complete with a walk-away KO from Hunt.
In the co-main event, Myles Jury announced himself as a legitimate contender in the lightweight division. He dispatched the former PRIDE champion in quick order by TKO. He looked phenomenal against a solid competitor.
Four more main card bouts were on the slate as well. UFC Fight Night 52 had a little bit of everything for the audience.
This is a look back at the fantastic card that came your way on early Saturday morning.
Mark Hunt vs. Roy Nelson
The two heavy-handed heavyweights had a tentative first round, but they got into a few exchanges. It was relatively even. They seemed to be trying to find their range in the opening five minutes more than anything else.
Nelson got a takedown early in the second, but Hunt was able to work back to his feet without issue. Nelson was able to open up more with his strikes, and Hunt appeared to slow down. Slow or not, Hunt still possesses big power and top-level technique. He utilized his counterpunching effectively to touch up Nelson as he pressed forward.
Finally, Hunt landed the uppercut that torched Nelson. The referee saved him from further punishment.
An outstanding KO.
Myles Jury vs. TakanoriGomi
If you were on the fence about Myles Jury, now you are not. He took out Gomi with ease in under a round.
Jury dropped Gomi, followed up with ground and pound and got the stoppage. Jury has silently built a good resume. There is little doubt he is a true contender in the lightweight division. Now it is time for the UFC to book him against a top-five fighter to build a challenger.
YoshihiroAkiyama vs. AmirSadollah
Two fighters coming off long layoffs is usually not a recipe for an exciting fight, but on Saturday it was.
Akiyama looked sharp in the first round, but Sadollah was not out of his depth. Sadollah has always been a crafty fighter who can stun his opposition in areas where they are stronger. Akiyama was not able to continually take him down for threat of a submission.
In the second round, Akiyama‘s power came out. He rocked Sadollah on the feet and pounced. Sadollah covered up well to avoid getting stopped, but it was the biggest bit of offense in the fight to that point. The clean punches were enough to put the fight firmly in Akiyama‘s favor.
Akiyama was in full control in the third frame and rode out the round until the judges rendered their decision. A solid return performance from Akiyama where he battered Sadollah the deeper the fight went.
Miesha Tate vs. RinNakai
Tate showed the difference between an elite bantamweight and a one with a padded record in the first round. It was dominance. In the second, however, she got into a bit of trouble by allowing Nakai to take her back. She was able to shrug her off and got into top position.
Once on top, she continued to show her superiority. She got tossed to the ground again in the third but was able to defend easily. Tate has some work to do to avoid these positions against more accomplished fighters, but she was never in any real danger.
This was a mismatch and it showed. A good win for Tate.
KiichiKunimoto vs. Richard Walsh
Walsh came out like a ball of fire. He hurt Kunimoto early, but the Japanese fighter was able to quickly recover. However, it wasn’t long until Walsh hurt Kunimoto again and busted him open. Kunimoto showed his toughness and stayed alive in the fight.
Walsh dared Kunimoto to strike him. He sensed he could get the finish, but Kunimoto was able to do enough grappling to survive the first round.
Kunimoto tried to get his grappling going in the second frame, but Walsh showcased outstanding takedown defense.
Kunimoto finally was able to do some successful grappling in the third. He got Walsh’s back, and locked in a body triangle to maintain position while seeking a submission. Unfortunately for Kunimoto, Walsh’s submission defense was on point.
In spite of that performance, the judges gave Kunimoto a split decision win. Highlighting, seemingly on every card, just how poor MMA judging is.
KyojiHoriguchi vs. Jon Delos Reyes
Horiguchi took it to Reyes right out of the gate. Reyes looked to be a game opponent but when you get rocked the game plans go out the window.
Horiguchi stunned Reyes early, but he was unable to finish the fight. He hurt Reyes again later in the first round, and that time the referee was forced to step in to stop the bout. It was a big win for the Japanese fighter on home soil.
It was a fun way to kick off the main card after a stellar undercard that saw some fantastic fights excite the crowd.
Quick Results
Mark Hunt defeated Roy Nelson by KO at 3:00 of the second round
Myles Jury defeats TakanoriGomi by TKO at 1:32 of the first round
YoshihiroAkiyama defeats AmirSadollah by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Miesha Tate defeats RinNakai by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
KiichiKunimoto defeats Richard Walsh by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
KyojiHoriguchi defeated Jon Delos Reyes by TKO at 3:48 of the first round
MasanoriKanehara defeated Alex Caceres by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
KatsunoriKikuno defeated Sam Sicilia via submission (rear naked choke) at 1:38 of the second round
HyunGyuLim defeated TakenoriSato by TKO at 1:18 of the first round
Kyung Ho Kang defeated MichinoriTanaka by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Johnny Case defeated KazukiTokudome via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:34 of the second round
Maximo Blanco defeated Daniel Hooker by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
(Tate vs. Nakai and Hunt vs. Nelson — the only weigh-ins you really care about. Complete UFC Fight Night 52 weigh-in video is after the jump.)
Mark Hunthad us nervous yesterday, but he — and everyone else — successfully made weight earlier today for UFC Fight Night 52 in Saitama, Japan. Hunt hit the scales at 264 pounds, which means he cut a full twenty pounds in the 24 hours prior to weigh-ins. (Our sources tell us that he’s already rehydrated up to 385.)
Also, Rin Nakai walked to the scale in some sort of samurai-hooker costume, then stripped it off to reveal an American flag/Superman bikini top. I was hoping for something tentacle-related, but whaddya gonna do. Full “Hunt vs. Nelson” weigh-in results are below…
Main Card (Fight Pass, 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT)
Mark Hunt (264) vs. Roy Nelson (260)
Myles Jury (156) vs. Takanori Gomi (155)
Yoshihiro Akiyama (170) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
Miesha Tate (135) vs. Rin Nakai (135)
Kiichi Kunimoto (171) vs. Richard Walsh (171)
Kyoji Horiguchi (125) vs. Jon delos Reyes (125)
Preliminary Card (Fight Pass, 12:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT)
Alex Caceres (135) vs. Masanori Kanehara (135)
Katsunori Kikuno (146) vs. Sam Sicilia (145)
Hyun Gyu Lim (171) vs. Takenori Sato (169)
Michinori Tanaka (135) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (136)
Kazuki Tokudome (155) vs. Johnny Case (156)
Maximo Blanco (146) vs. Daniel Hooker (145)
(Tate vs. Nakai and Hunt vs. Nelson — the only weigh-ins you really care about. Complete UFC Fight Night 52 weigh-in video is after the jump.)
Mark Hunthad us nervous yesterday, but he — and everyone else — successfully made weight earlier today for UFC Fight Night 52 in Saitama, Japan. Hunt hit the scales at 264 pounds, which means he cut a full twenty pounds in the 24 hours prior to weigh-ins. (Our sources tell us that he’s already rehydrated up to 385.)
Also, Rin Nakai walked to the scale in some sort of samurai-hooker costume, then stripped it off to reveal an American flag/Superman bikini top. I was hoping for something tentacle-related, but whaddya gonna do. Full “Hunt vs. Nelson” weigh-in results are below…
Main Card (Fight Pass, 3 a.m. ET / 12 a.m. PT)
Mark Hunt (264) vs. Roy Nelson (260)
Myles Jury (156) vs. Takanori Gomi (155)
Yoshihiro Akiyama (170) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
Miesha Tate (135) vs. Rin Nakai (135)
Kiichi Kunimoto (171) vs. Richard Walsh (171)
Kyoji Horiguchi (125) vs. Jon delos Reyes (125)
Preliminary Card (Fight Pass, 12:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 p.m. PT)
Alex Caceres (135) vs. Masanori Kanehara (135)
Katsunori Kikuno (146) vs. Sam Sicilia (145)
Hyun Gyu Lim (171) vs. Takenori Sato (169)
Michinori Tanaka (135) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (136)
Kazuki Tokudome (155) vs. Johnny Case (156)
Maximo Blanco (146) vs. Daniel Hooker (145)
