(“Thank you for this honor, Bader-san. I will now honor your ancestors by getting drunk on a boat and attending a foam party.” Photo via Tracy Lee/Yahoo! Sports)
The UFC’s spite-booking between light-heavyweight contenders Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida is close to being finalized. Sources close to the event have informed MMA Fighting that Hendo and Pervo have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 157, which will go down February 23rd at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The bout isn’t expected to be the card’s main event, which is still TBA at this point. Not that we wouldn’t want to speculate.
(“Thank you for this honor, Bader-san. I will now honor your ancestors by getting drunk on a boat and attending a foam party.” Photo via Tracy Lee/Yahoo! Sports)
The UFC’s spite-booking between light-heavyweight contenders Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida is close to being finalized. Sources close to the event have informed MMA Fighting that Hendo and Pervo have verbally agreed to meet at UFC 157, which will go down February 23rd at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The bout isn’t expected to be the card’s main event, which is still TBA at this point. Not that we wouldn’t want to speculate.
While there’s little doubt that a lot of us East-Coasters are currently comparing scars in relation to Hurricane Sandy Vagina’s rampage through our respective towns (I spent most of my day bailing water out of my car here in Dorchester and my brother’s roof in Upstate NY was completely destroyed, in case you were wondering), if you are able to read this right now then you are likely much better off than UFC middleweight contender Chris Weidman. Because according to Ryan Bader’s Twitter account, Weidman’s New York City home was completely destroyed by the storm today:
Thankfully, no one from Weidman’s family was injured in the incident, which is unfortunately not the case for many families throughout the East coast. We here at CagePotato would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to the Weidman family and every family that is currently struggling to deal with the impact of Sandy, and also thank you readers for checking in on us when many of you probably have a lot more pertinent issues at hand.
While there’s little doubt that a lot of us East-Coasters are currently comparing scars in relation to Hurricane Sandy Vagina’s rampage through our respective towns (I spent most of my day bailing water out of my car here in Dorchester and my brother’s roof in Upstate NY was completely destroyed, in case you were wondering), if you are able to read this right now then you are likely much better off than UFC middleweight contender Chris Weidman. Because according to Ryan Bader’s Twitter account, Weidman’s New York City home was completely destroyed by the storm today:
Thankfully, no one from Weidman’s family was injured in the incident, which is unfortunately not the case for many families throughout the East coast. We here at CagePotato would like to extend our thoughts and prayers to the Weidman family and every family that is currently struggling to deal with the impact of Sandy, and also thank you readers for checking in on us when many of you probably have a lot more pertinent issues at hand.
Props to the UG for the find and MMAInterviews for this video, which asks several of the fighters from UFC on FOX 4, along with several other MMA stars, what Olympic event they would most likely compete in if they weren’t mixed martial artists. The responses ranged from funny (Joe Lauzon’s desire to try and make people give a shit about speed walking) to optimistic (5′ 8” Jamie Varner’s chances as a high-jumper) to spot-on for their personality (Ryan Bader would “throw rocks” and lift weights, go figure).
And speaking of Olympics, are we the only ones who think water polo is receiving far too much coverage this year? We’re sorry, but whatever asshole took a look at soccer and thought “You know what we should do with this sport? Slow it way, way down, limit the players mobility, and blow a whistle every three seconds” should be shot in the face, then dragged to a nearby park to make it look like a suicide. And yes, we know that person is probably dead already. Just go with it.
Anyway, it is with this inspiring little interview that we ask you taters to fill the blanks in for the following sentence:
If ______ were an Olympian instead of an MMA fighter, he/she would ______.
Props to the UG for the find and MMAInterviews for this video, which asks several of the fighters from UFC on FOX 4, along with several other MMA stars, what Olympic event they would most likely compete in if they weren’t mixed martial artists. The responses ranged from funny (Joe Lauzon’s desire to try and make people give a shit about speed walking) to optimistic (5′ 8” Jamie Varner’s chances as a high-jumper) to spot-on for their personality (Ryan Bader would “throw rocks” and lift weights, go figure).
And speaking of Olympics, are we the only ones who think water polo is receiving far too much coverage this year? We’re sorry, but whatever asshole took a look at soccer and thought “You know what we should do with this sport? Slow it way, way down, limit the players mobility, and blow a whistle every three seconds” should be shot in the face, then dragged to a nearby park to make it look like a suicide. And yes, we know that person is probably dead already. Just go with it.
Anyway, it is with this inspiring little interview that we ask you taters to fill the blanks in for the following sentence:
If ______ were an Olympian instead of an MMA fighter, he/she would ______.
Regardless of whether or not you feel Frankie Edgar truly deserved an immediate rematch with Benson Henderson after their epic clash at UFC 144, this rematch is going to happen this weekend, barring any last minute injuries, so you’ll just have to deal with it.
In all honesty, Edgar/Bendo II is perhaps the perfect main event to follow up UFC on FOX 4, as it will surely continue to deliver on the action-packed slugfests that its preceding event provided. And while we’re on the subject of UFC on FOX 4, check out a behind-the-scenes look at the event provided by the almighty Danavlog. It’s got everything: Damarques Johnson asking “What the hell happened?”, Ryan Bader asking “What the hell happened?”, and even Brandon Vera asking “What the hell happened?” Valentine McKee would’ve been proud.
So give that a gander if you would be so kind, and if you’re looking to get properly amped for this weekend’s events, down your first 5-hour energy of the day and check out the full Countdown to UFC 150 videos detailing the Bendo/Edgar, Cerrone/Guillard, and Ed Herman/Jake Shields fights after the jump.
Regardless of whether or not you feel Frankie Edgar truly deserved an immediate rematch with Benson Henderson after their epic clash at UFC 144, this rematch is going to happen this weekend, barring any last minute injuries, so you’ll just have to deal with it.
In all honesty, Edgar/Bendo II is perhaps the perfect main event to follow up UFC on FOX 4, as it will surely continue to deliver on the action-packed slugfests that its preceding event provided. And while we’re on the subject of UFC on FOX 4, check out a behind-the-scenes look at the event provided by the almighty Danavlog. It’s got everything: Damarques Johnson asking “What the hell happened?”, Ryan Bader asking “What the hell happened?”, and even Brandon Vera asking “What the hell happened?” Valentine McKee would’ve been proud.
So give that a gander if you would be so kind, and if you’re looking to get properly amped for this weekend’s events, down your first 5-hour energy of the day and check out the full Countdown to UFC 150 videos detailing the Bendo/Edgar, Cerrone/Guillard, and Ed Herman/Jake Shields fights below.
Edgar/Henderson
The story of Benson’s mother, Song, is Oscar Pistorius-level heartwarming, and the same goes for Benson. Everything about the guy is captivating; from his humble beginnings to the heroes welcome he received upon returning home to South Korea with the lightweight strap, Henderson has been a motivated, hard working, class act through and through. That must be why you don’t see a lot of BEN HENDO IS OVERRATED TRASH ASSHOLE GARBAGE RAWWRR!! forums on the UG these days. “Why change because you’ve got the belt?” he asks, “I wanna stay the same fighter that I was before.” We’re sure he means with the exception of one small moment.
And then there’s Frankie Edgar, a.k.a The Little Engine That Could Except No One Wanted It To Because It Was Coming From New Jersey. Undefeated in the rematch scenario, Edgar promises that “Henderson will not defend the belt, because I’m taking it home with me.” Why, Frankie, so you can shower it in AXE body spray and hair gel?!! I think not, Mr. Edgar. I think not.
Cerrone/Guillard
Only twenty three seconds into this video, we are treated to perhaps the most brutal knockout of Melvin Guillard’s career, against Rick Davis at 60. The closest thing I could compare it to would be the beating the Shawshank guards put on Boggs, and like Boggs, Davis never walked fought again.
Guillard describes his old training partner as “The craziest white boy I’ve ever met.” That’s a compliment, right? Fun fact: Cerrone’s and Guillard’s birthdays are only one day apart, which in Guillard’s mind is as close to destiny as he can imagine.
And Cerrone promises fireworks, like we’d expect anything less.
Shields/Herman
Jake Shields has apparently been training everywhere from San Diego (alongside Phil Davis and Brandon Vera) to Abu Dhabi (where he apparently got to fly a jetpack) for his return to the middleweight division. Did I mention he got to fly a jetpack?! For some reason, I suddenly want to be a f*cking fighter.
On an unrelated not, if Shields somehow manages to knock Herman out on Saturday, we’re all gonna get laid. You heard it here first.
After an over hyped UFC 149 that did not deliver to fan’s expectations, the UFC got right back on track with a heavily action packed card on Fox. UFC on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera.
After an over hyped UFC 149 that did not deliver to fan’s expectations, the UFC got right back on track with a heavily action packed card on Fox. UFC on Fox 4: Shogun vs. Vera was one of the most exciting events of the year, an event that saw four knockouts and three submissions. The question now, where does this put Saturday’s competitors now that every fight has come to its conclusion?
After being absent for over two years, Mike Swick returned to the octagon to knockout DaMarques Johnson in the second round. Although Johnson was knocked out in devastating fashion, he most likely won the first round, and made it an extremely competitive fight. As for his next fight, Matt “The Immortal” Brown would be ideal for a competitive fight for Johnson. Having such an impressive knockout after being absent for so long, is proof that Swick is still a force to be reckoned with at welterweight and he should fight another dangerous opponent such as Yoshihiro Akiyama or Siyar Bahadurzada.
Fight of the night award winners, Joe Lauzon and Jamie Varner, not only put on the performance of the entire event, but are being considered for fight of the year. Going into the third round, it was still either man’s fight to take. Lauzon didn’t take any chances and refused to let the fight go to a decision when he slapped a triangle on Varner that forced him to tap. Just like DaMarques Johnson with his loss to Mike Swick, Jamie Varner won the first round and made the fight extremely competitive. Varner should draw a quality opponent in his next fight, perhaps Khabib Nurmagomedov or Rafael dos Anjos. Lauzon is ready for another big name, and should fight his original opponent, Terry Etim.
Lyoto Machida not only scored what was arguably the most impressive knockout of the night, but did so without so much as being touched by his opponent, Ryan Bader. There is no shame in getting knocked out by the dragon, and Bader is still among the elite in the light heavyweight division, but after Brandon Vera’s performance against Shogun, it would be interesting to see Bader vs. Vera. As for Machida, he should no doubt get the next shot at the light heavyweight title, whether it’s against Jon Jones or Dan Henderson.
Brandon Vera shocked everyone when he gave Shogun a run for his money in the main event. Though he was on the loosing end of the fight, he arguably gained more fans than any other fighter that night. Dana White said it best about Vera by saying “You can’t Rank a fighter’s heart. Heavily favored Shogun did pull off the victory, but with much more difficulty than anticipated. Nonetheless, a win is a win and now is the perfect time for the UFC to match Shogun against Rashad Evans, a fight that was supposed to happen a year and a half ago.
The list of possible match ups after this event is endless. Regardless of what future fights the UFC puts together, bottom line, UFC on Fox 4 was a great event and raised the bar to events to come.
It’s time to step into the octagon once again as we take a look at Dana White’s quest to find out who is the third-best light heavyweight in the world with the latest UFC on Fox show, shown in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on …
It’s time to step into the octagon once again as we take a look at Dana White’s quest to find out who is the third-best light heavyweight in the world with the latest UFC on Fox show, shown in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.
The broadcast began with action from the welterweight division as Mike Swick took on Damarques Johnson.
This was a great way to start the show. Swick began his night’s work quickly, connecting with a big right that rocked Johnson. It was the same punch he’d go to again later in the round, with the self-same result.
In between, Johnson took control on the ground. He almost took Swick’s back completely a few times, delivering some solid ground-and-pound shots while always looking to get into a position so he could apply a choke. He went for the d’arce variety a couple of times but nothing came of it.
So what looked an interesting fight became an explosive one early in the second. Swick caught Johnson’s kick attempt and pushed him down to the mat. One big right-hand later and Johnson was out of it, the referee quickly stepping in to give Swick the knockout win.
Then it was down to lightweight as Joe Lauzon faced Jamie Varner.
This was a tremendous contest. Varner put on a great striking display, but as the fight went on, particularly in the first round, he began to visibly tire.
Lauzon, for his part, put in an excellent showing on the ground. There were times when Varner seemed powerless, unable to prevent Lauzon from going back to the mount, and back to the back again.
It was the same story throughout the rest of the fight, and the end proved to be just as exciting. Varner went for a takedown, which Lauzon defended. Lauzon then showed tremendous skill as he moved into a position where he could apply a leg triangle for the highly-impressive submission win.
The first of the light heavyweight battles saw Lyoto Machida taking on Ryan Bader.
Machida went into this fight with the perfect game plan, his unique stance making it difficult for Bader to gauge the distance. Machida connected with a couple of hard kicks to the body. We also saw a couple of clinches in the middle of the cage, but nothing really came of these.
Bader finally decided to go for broke in the second, as he attempted to get near his opponent. Big mistake. As soon as he got within range, Machida connected with a big right that sent him crashing. It wasn’t long before the referee stepped in and Machida took the knockout win.
The main event featured the second light heavyweight battle as Shogun Rua went up against Brandon Vera.
This was a veritable war of attrition. For nearly four complete rounds these two put on a fight where the guts and determination of both men were apparent for all to see.
Both men put on fine performances in all aspects of the MMA game. It was brutal at times, but also quite compelling.
Vera did an excellent job in the striking department, as he put Shogun on the defensive on numerous occasions. It was by far the best performance I’ve ever seen from him, and it showed that he could hang with the best.
Shogun’s striking was more than a match for his man. The Brazilian managed to ally this with some sound grappling, and although Vera showed some nice defensive skills at times, as the fight went on Shogun began to win the war on the ground.
The end came late in round four. With both fighters running on empty, Shogun connected with a big left that rocked his man. As Vera tried to put his mouthpiece back into place, Shogun connected with a combination that sent Vera down to the mat, with the referee quickly stepping in to give Rua the TKO win.
Neither man did enough to get the big title shot, though, as Dana White announced that Lyoto Machida’s performance had earned him another crack at Jon Jones.
In conclusion—after the disappointment of UFC 149, this was just what the doctor ordered.
Every fight delivered, and then some. There were some tremendous performances here, and none of them can be faulted. This made my Fight of the Night decision somewhat difficult, but eventually I decided on the Shogun/Vera battle.
So with that being said, let’s wrap this thing up by giving UFC’s latest show on Fox the big thumbs up.
It’s time to step into the octagon once again as we take a look at 