UFC 159 will take place this Saturday from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. In the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will put his title on the line, squaring off against Chael Sonnen. The weigh-ins for Saturday’s fight…
UFC 159 will take place this Saturday from the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. In the main event, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones will put his title on the line, squaring off against Chael Sonnen.
The weigh-ins for Saturday’s fight card are wrapped up and full results are below:
When Roy Nelson steps into the Octagon, the ruckus is coming in short order. The former IFL heavyweight champion has built a reputation for being one of the gamest fighters under the UFC banner as he’s tangled with some of the division’s best.Since win…
When Roy Nelson steps into the Octagon, the ruckus is coming in short order. The former IFL heavyweight champion has built a reputation for being one of the gamest fighters under the UFC banner as he’s tangled with some of the division’s best.
Since winning the 10th season of The Ultimate Fighter, the Las Vegas native has become a fan-favorite working behind his hammer of a right hand, granite chin and a unflinching willingness to mix it up. Nevertheless, in his most recent outings “Big Country” has traded in the three-round war for the settling the opposition in devastating fashion within the limits of the opening frame.
The 34-year-old will be looking to keep his streak of first-round knockouts alive when he steps in against veteran Cheick Kongo this weekend at UFC 159. Nelson believes a devastating finish is what the fans want to see and compared clipping his opponent’s lights out to a baseball player putting a shot in the cheap seats.
“I think I’m probably one of the only long-ball hitters out of the heavyweights,” Nelson told Bleacher Report. “I think the only other one is probably Junior [dos Santos]. I don’t think Junior wins any other way besides knocking people out as well. Cain wrestles them. [Antonio Silva] knocks people out or he gets knocked out and that is what makes that exciting. Alistair [Overeem] is just good to look at, and I think that’s about it.”
Despite having a black belt in jiu-jitsu under Renzo Gracie, Nelson’s most devastating asset has been his one-shot put-away power as of late. And with Kongo’s strength coming in the stand-up department, many figure the battle with Nelson to play out largely on the feet. That being said, the gritty heavyweight is prepared for everything his opponent brings to Octagon—even if a few of his tactics are of the unconventional variety.
“Cheick has a couple different strategies,” Nelson said. “I have to make sure he doesn’t grab my shorts — that’s a big one. No knees to the balls. No grabbing the fence. And then hopefully he won’t run. Those are the things I’ve been looking at in his game. I’m there to fight. I’m going out there to fight and I’m going to try to knock his block off.
“If he wants to fight, that is what I’m here for. If Cheick wants to fight, then I’m ready to go. But if he’s going to run, then I didn’t bring my running shoes. I’ll chase him down if I have to, but at the end of the day I just want to fight.”
Duane Finley is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
(We’d start getting *real* used to that desk if we were you, Chael.)
By Dan “Get Off Me” George
It’s finally happening, Potato Nation. Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen a.k.a “the fight fans have been asking for” is set to go down this Saturday from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Although many fans have focused on the chemistry (or lack thereof) between Chael and Jon as reason enough to pass on this pay-per-view event, UFC 159 will be offering a solid card of competitive fights which on paper may make it a sleeper that you won’t want to miss.
So join us as we continue to contribute to the Save Danga’s Legs Fund (he’s almost better, but he likes the nurse visits) by highlighting where to place your money on a few undercard and all of the main card bouts. All betting lines courtesy of BestFightOdds.
Steven Siler comes in at around -130 for his fifth UFC appearance and will improve his Octagon record to 4-1 should he emerge victorious against the debuting Strikeforce veteran in Holobaugh. In his last outing, Siler was tarred and feathered by Darren Elkins‘ wrestling and was unable to take control of the fight for any sustained period of time. As an underdog who has only tasted defeat once in his career (a decision loss to Pat Healy), Holobaugh at even money or better is a solid choice. Kurt fights like a veteran and showed he can hang with some of the best in the world while dominating anything less than that caliber. Coming out of the Gracie Barra gym, Holobaugh will be too tough for Siler to submit and will put Super’s stand up game to the test with his own excellent striking. Holobaugh for the slight upset win.
(We’d start getting *real* used to that desk if we were you, Chael.)
By Dan “Get Off Me” George
It’s finally happening, Potato Nation. Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen a.k.a “the fight fans have been asking for” is set to go down this Saturday from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Although many fans have focused on the chemistry (or lack thereof) between Chael and Jon as reason enough to pass on this pay-per-view event, UFC 159 will be offering a solid card of competitive fights which on paper may make it a sleeper that you won’t want to miss.
So join us as we continue to contribute to the Save Danga’s Legs Fund (he’s almost better, but he likes the nurse visits) by highlighting where to place your money on a few undercard and all of the main card bouts. All betting lines courtesy of BestFightOdds.
Steven Siler comes in at around -130 for his fifth UFC appearance and will improve his Octagon record to 4-1 should he emerge victorious against the debuting Strikeforce veteran in Holobaugh. In his last outing, Siler was tarred and feathered by Darren Elkins‘ wrestling and was unable to take control of the fight for any sustained period of time. As an underdog who has only tasted defeat once in his career (a decision loss to Pat Healy), Holobaugh at even money or better is a solid choice. Kurt fights like a veteran and showed he can hang with some of the best in the world while dominating anything less than that caliber. Coming out of the Gracie Barra gym, Holobaugh will be too tough for Siler to submit and will put Super’s stand up game to the test with his own excellent striking. Holobaugh for the slight upset win.
The Sambo suplex machine rolls into town as a healthy -300 favorite and will look to couple his grappling skills with Greg Jackson’s game planning prowess (close the distance and look for a takedown) to overwhelm his +250 underdog opponent, Yancy Medeiros. Not sure about the line on this, but it may start to narrow leading up to fight night, as Yancy is notorious for finishing his fights with his fists, something Khabilov will surely try to avoid. Khabilov’s only loss was a split decision in Russia, while Medeiros has no losses on his record thus far. Historically, the classic grappler vs striker matchup puts Khabilov to win, but it’s only worth putting in a parlay at these odds. Khabilov by decision.
Going directly to the FOTN bonus prop here. With both fighters only losing to top lightweights in the past three years respectively, this tilt will surely use all sides of the Octagon to showcase a high-paced, hotly contested bout. Looking at the skill sets of these fighters, a look at the prop that this fight goes the distance (provided -250 or better) is also another way not to get burned in this one. The hometown fighter paying out 30 cents on the dollar against what some may consider a carbon copy of himself seems a little steep, so sticking with the props and tighter odds is safest. Jim to pull off the hometown decision but not at that price.
With a moniker like “Mr.Wonderful,” it comes as no surprise that the price tag is -300 on Davis out-grappling BJJ specialist and former TUF finalist Vinny Magalhaes. Davis underwhelmed some in his lackluster outing against Rashad Evans, being dominated both on the mat and in the stand up portions of their contest. With the betting line in mind, the cost of wagering that Davis will not be caught in a submission or vulnerable position (like Evans was able to exploit) is too high. Magalhaes can hold his own on the mat, will avoid submissions, but may not be able to control Davis, which all points to a fight goes the distance prop. Davis to win via decision by fending off Vinny’s ground game.
If you took a stranger off the street, showed them photos of both fighters and asked them who will win if they fought, chances are Kongo would get the nod more often than not. However, -240 is almost a gift though when you look at the quality of opponents Nelson has been into deep waters with inside the Octagon. We may get a look at Roy’s ground game in this fight as Nelson will surely look to exploit Kongo’s less than stellar grappling abilities. Kongo is a world class striker, but Roy has an out of this world chin and some power of his own, something that has proved successful against Kongo in the past (the Mark Hunt fight comes to mind). Nelson is parlay bound and “fight does not go the distance” is also an alluring prop option (proption?) when two heavy hitting heavyweights step into the cage.
To the disappointment of many, “The Talent” showed that he still has issues with strong grapplers in his rematch loss to Yushin Okami at UFC 155. Thankfully, we should be spared this issue in his opponent and -170 favorite, Michael Bisping. Bisping tends to prefer striking over grappling, favoring using his crisp, quick stand up skills to outpoint many a fighter in the UFC. Belcher will surely welcome a stand up contest and may have the slight advantage if the fight takes place on the feet, where Bisping has been clipped by high level strikers before en route to losing. Belcher at +140 is the most alluring pick as an underdog on the main card to stop the takedown of Bisping and win the striking battle.
Facing a 10-to-1 favorite with literally perfect takedown defense, finding the advantages Chael has to win against Jon Jones may be an exercise in futility. The popular consensus is that “Bones” will beat Chael hands down and that ultimately the main event will be an anticlimactic squash match of sorts. However, Jones may use this opportunity to finish Chael where arguably the greatest fighter in MMA could not, inside 5 minutes, which may offer an exciting fight that pays a solid return on the prop bet that this fight does not go out of the first round. For the fans that get together for fights, friendly wagers that propose Jones does not get taken down will also add some suspense to a fight where most believe the outcome is simply a formality. I’m not saying Chael has no chance; you all are. I’m simply agreeing here.
Parlay 1
-Holobaugh + Nelson
Parlay 2
-Khabilov + Belcher
Parlay 3
-Davis + Holobaugh + Nelson
Please share your thoughts on who you like to walk away with a “W” this weekend, CP nation.
Social media has played a major role in the growth of the UFC, with many of the promotion’s fighters rewarded for promotion themselves on Twitter.However, most Twitter fans of stars like Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre aren’t even real people.Acco…
Social media has played a major role in the growth of the UFC, with many of the promotion’s fighters rewarded for promotion themselves on Twitter.
However, most Twitter fans of stars like Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre aren’t even real people.
According to a report filed by Ingrained Media, many of the UFC’s most notable fighters and popular personalities are followed online by several “fake” Twitter accounts, which are commonly made up of spambot drones or dummy profiles.
But while many Twitter accounts will attract their fair share of spam, Roy Nelson is a special case, with only 7 percent of his followers labeled as “good” and a rate of fake followers well over 80 percent.
To boot, here’s the top 10 most influential Twitter accounts in the UFC with verified “fake” followers and inactive accounts in their social network:
Roy Nelson — Followers: 566,458 (Fake: 82%, Inactive: 11%)
Many firms and services use dummy Twitter accounts to artificially boost a client’s social media reach—also a common practice with MMA media and fansites—but the percentages above look particularly damning for Nelson.
Interestingly, this infographic breakdown from Ingrained Media also notes that nearly one-fourth of Twitter followers in MMA come from fake accounts, affecting some of the UFC’s most popular Brazilian fighters.
Back in 2011, the UFC started to implement bonuses for fighters using Twitter (via MMA Fighting), with Nelson, Silva, “Big Nog,” Maia, and JDS pocketing most of the extra money.
That’s five fighters out of the only 17 to gain bonus cash for their Twitter activity in 2011 and 2012 (via MMA Fighting), showing a flaw in the UFC’s system.
In the three categories where fighters are given monetary incentives for social media use, only the “Most Creative” section focuses on actual content, while “Most Followers” and “Highest Percentage of New Followers” are ruled by raw numbers.
Ingrained Media additionally outs Cain Velasquez, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Dan Henderson, Lyoto Machida, Nate Diaz and MMA reporter Ariel Helwani (who wrote the MMA Fighting piece, coincidentally) as prominent Twitter personalities with more than a 30 percent rate of fake/inactive followers.
Cheick Kongo is an enigma in MMA—someone who is continually billed as an elite striker based on his kickboxing record but who regularly looks flat and unpolished in the cage.The 6’4″ Frenchman carries a massive 82″ reach and several titles in kic…
Cheick Kongo is an enigma in MMA—someone who is continually billed as an elite striker based on his kickboxing record but who regularly looks flat and unpolished in the cage.
The 6’4″ Frenchman carries a massive 82″ reach and several titles in kickboxing, savate and Muay Thai, yet has looked mediocre on the feet against all but the lowest level heavyweights. How can it be that a man with such a respected Muay Thai career could struggle on the feet against men like Matt Mitrione?
There is absolutely no denying that Kongo was incredibly skilled in his kickboxing career—the few videos that exist of it make him look sublime—but they highlight the errors which still plague his game and have been amplified to make him look so middling as a striker in the UFC.
What Kongo suffers from is the fate of any kickboxer who moves to MMA—he lacks the wrestling pedigree or ability to play guard to be able to throw kicks with impunity. Anytime Kongo throws a kick he must constantly be aware of being taken to the mat.
Against good grapplers Kongo will fake kicks, but never actually throw any. Against Frank Mir, Kongo faked a couple of kicks which made Mir back up, but then proceeded to do nothing and Mir simply steamrolled him.
Kongo’s second great weapon—the clinch—also falls apart against competent wrestlers and indeed opponents who have trained to shake off his blanketing tactics such as Mark Hunt, who easily maneuvered himself off of the fence when Kongo went to the wall and stall.
The downfall of any great striker moving to MMA is that if your kickboxing game is not solid in the punching department you have no areas of the fight in which you are the dominant party.
It is simply easier to learn to sprawl if you have the boxing game to be able to keep both feet on the ground throughout the fight, and you will fair far better than most strikers moving to MMA. If kicking is your bread and butter, then you move to a sport where a mistimed kick, or even a perfectly connected kick can mean being put on your back.
Kongo does not have a solid boxing game, which is even more of a shame because of his arm length and could be a real force in his division if he could simply use it. Because of Kongo’s love of bouncing footwork and need to kick fast he stands bolt upright at all times, and this carries over to his punching attempts.
A solid boxing game also serves to set up the kicking game, as the opponent can be forced to cover with a combination and then kicked as he is shelled up. This is Dutch kickboxing 101, but Kongo has never set his kicks up well, and he’s unlikely to start now.
When he steps in with jabs or his right straight, Kongo will almost lean back rather than hide behind his punching shoulder as he should. Furthermore, where punching effectiveness and elusiveness can be improved by combining a slip to the non-punching side with straight punches, Kongo comes in with his head in one place at all times.
With his head forever in the same position as he charges, Kongo’s opponents could close their eyes (sadly not an uncommon feature in the heavyweight division), duck and throw back with a good chance of connecting.
When Kongo is punching he is so used to being at his range that he doesn’t keep his guard up at all in many of his bouts. Watching him demolish some of the lower tier heavyweights whom the UFC matched him against in his early UFC career, Kongo will stand in front of them with his head upright, his non-punching hand down by his nipples and go completely unpunished for it.
Now that isn’t to say that Kongo’s hands are the worst in the UFC heavyweight division—not by any stretch of the imagination. Clearly his reach and power are massively effective against men who lack the ability to slip and counter. Kongo did an excellent job at landing his right straight in combinations against Mirko Cro Cop.
Cro Cop was actually a good matchup for Kongo stylistically. In Cro Cop’s kickboxing career he had trouble with quick kickers who set up their strikes better than him, such as Ernesto Hoost and Andy Hug. Furthermore Cro Cop’s money punch was not a slip and a counter (he rarely moved his head) but a side-step counter left straight.
By using his powerful kicks effectively against an opponent who was unlikely to take him down (on principal more than anything), Kongo could keep Cro Cop standing in front of him for his long straight punches.
Kongo’s problems come against men who will make him miss and throw looping punches over his own. Hunt let Kongo chase him and caught him with a left hook as Kongo recovered his right straight. Pat Barry meanwhile used his lead hand to hook over the top of Kongo’s jab.
Roy Nelson is certainly the type of puncher who could come over the top of an ill advised Kongo punch and starch the Frenchman, he also has the kind of ground game which should put Kongo off of using his great kicks. What Nelson doesn’t have, however, is a great wrestling game or cardio. This fight, like all heavyweight fights, will hinge wildly around who fades first and whether the big puncher can land before he fades.
What is certain, however, is that Kongo’s striking when we consider the whole—kicking, boxing and clinch work—is far short of great in just one major area.
Jack Slack breaks down over 70 striking tactics employed by 20 elite strikers in his first ebook, Advanced Striking, and discusses the fundamentals of strategy in his new ebook, Elementary Striking.
There still exists a certain nostalgia in mixed martial arts for Pride Fighting Championships—the organization that at one time was the largest promotion in the sport while operating primarily out of Japan. The big lights and pageantry were part …
There still exists a certain nostalgia in mixed martial arts for Pride Fighting Championships—the organization that at one time was the largest promotion in the sport while operating primarily out of Japan.
The big lights and pageantry were part of the show, but the real selling point of Pride during its heyday were the amazing fights and drama that went along with every event.The biggest staple of Pride over the years was the concept of a Grand Prix—a tournament putting together the best of the best in a weight class that would happen over a few events culminating in a final champion crowned at the end.
Several notable legends built their reputations as a part of the Pride Grand Prix including FedorEmelianenko and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, and if Roy Nelson had his way the legendary tournament would be revived—this time in the UFC Octagon.
Nelson was a big fan of the Pride Grand Prix‘s when they ran from 2000 until the organization folded in 2007.He believes the tournament format took away any question about who truly was the best fighter at the time and allowed the true champion to be crowned.
“Here’s the thing about tournaments, the cream always rises to the top and it’s a good reset button,” Nelson told MMA‘s Great Debate Radio.“It’s good to have March Madness and you’ve got the Cinderella story.It’s what made Pride great with the Grand Prix.It wasn’t just Pride.It was because Pride always had the Grand Prix.You waited for that whether it was heavyweight or middleweight or whatever.
“The thing is everybody forgets the UFC was the originator of the tournament format.How did Royce Gracie win?Nobody would have picked Royce Gracie to win besides his parents who put the whole thing together.He still had to fight to take the politics out of their hands.He had to beat somebody to become champion.”
Nelson isn’t the first fighter to express an opinion about how someone does or doesn’t receive a title shot in the UFC.This year alone two fighters have been matched up in title fights despite coming off losses (Nick Diaz at UFC 158, ChaelSonnen at UFC 159).
The benefit of the tournament, or in this case the Grand Prix, is that it takes away the politics of promotion and allows the best fighter left standing defined as the best in the world.
Most recently Strikeforce attempted their own version of a heavyweight grand prix with eight of the best in the division matched up in one tournament. Unfortunately, in the midst of the grand prix, the promotion ended up being sold to Zuffa (parent company of the UFC), and top stars like Alistair Overeem were forced out of the tournament due to injury and eventually exited the organization altogether.
Still, Nelson believes that if not for the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix current top-ranked fighter Daniel Cormier could still be searching for the best way to be noticed in the sport.
“That’s how Daniel Cormier got introduced and basically took a lot of the politics out of the game.At that point he rose to the top,” Nelson said.“The Grand Prix‘s changed a lot of the politics and especially if you just did a real money format.Like at the end of the day there’s a $10 million dollar prize or something stupid like that.People would tune into watch that just because it’s a Grand Prix, it’s a real Grand Prix.”
The UFC has done a couple of tournaments since Zuffa took over ownership of the promotion, but typically they have never completely been on board with that type of format for determining contenders or champions.
Nelson would love to see the Grand Prix resurrected especially now with the UFC heavyweight division thriving at a higher level than it’s been at in years.With champion Cain Velasquez sitting atop the mountain, there is a huge list of contenders that sit waiting for their shot at the gold.
Nelson believes a UFC Heavyweight Grand Prix would not only determine a true champion, it would be one of the biggest events of all time.
“It’s definitely one of those things people would tune into watch,” Nelson commented.“It’s just because it’s an epic tournament.You can’t really do it with the 135-er’s because you can’t name eight guys.Heavyweight division you can.170-pound division you could, maybe the 55-er’s although I think they are all 45-er’s now.It would definitely be something the fans would want to see.That’s something myself I’d tune in.”
The likelihood of a UFC Heavyweight Grand Prix happening is probably slim, but Nelson would still love to see it because it removes anybody from saying a fighter didn’t deserve a title shot.Winning the Grand Prix tournament defines what the best in MMA is all about.
“The one thing with the tournament it’s always a reset button,” Nelson said. “It’s always a rebuilding year, it’s like football or baseball or any other sports league.In our sport sometimes people only go off of your one win or your one loss, but at the end of the day it still comes down to politics when it comes to fighting for that belt.”
Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted
Social media has played a major role in the growth of the UFC, with many of the promotion’s fighters rewarded for promotion themselves on Twitter.
