Tag: Sam Stout

The Top 24 Mixed Martial Artists Who Lost Their First Fight


(Renan Barao: Started from the bottom, now he here. / Photo via Getty)

By Adam Martin

At the UFC 165 post-fight presser last month, UFC president Dana White showered praise upon UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao, calling him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and remarking that the media hadn’t given enough credit to his eight-year, 32-fight undefeated streak, which has remained pristine since May 2005.

Barao has only tasted defeat once, and it was in the first fight of his career. The fact that he’s rebounded with the longest current undefeated streak in mixed martial arts — despite the fact that his first loss could have ruined his confidence forever — is absolutely amazing to me, as many young would-be prospects have crashed and burned in their debuts, never to be heard of again.

It got me thinking: What other mixed martial artists lost their first fight but then went on to have great success? I expected to bang out a list of ten fighters, but once I started doing the research, it blew my mind that some of the best fighters to ever compete in the sport, and a number of currently top 10-ranked fighters, actually lost their very first fight.

And so, I compiled a list of the top 24 MMA fighters of all time who lost their first fight. The list is based on accomplishments in the sport, overall skill level, and potential. Enjoy, and if I somehow missed somebody notable, please leave a comment below and explain why he or she should be included.

Honorable mentions: Matt “The Wizard” Hume (5-5), Wesley “Cabbage” Correira (20-15), Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo (18-2), Rodrigo Damm (11-6), James Te Huna (16-6)

24. Travis “The Ironman” Fulton (249-49-10, 1 NC)

(Photo via ThunderPromotions)

On July 26, 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Travis Fulton fought Dave Strasser in his MMA debut at Gladiators 1 in Davenport, Iowa, losing the fight via first-round submission. He then went on to win 249 fights, the most wins in mixed martial arts history. Fulton also holds the record for most fights (309) and most knockout wins (91) in MMA history.

Mind = blown.

Was Fulton a can crusher? Yes, yes he was. Or, should I say, yes he is, as he beat some nobody in his native Iowa just this past March. But you don’t win 249 MMA fights by accident, and Fulton deserves a place on this list based on volume alone.


(Renan Barao: Started from the bottom, now he here. / Photo via Getty)

By Adam Martin

At the UFC 165 post-fight presser last month, UFC president Dana White showered praise upon UFC interim bantamweight champion Renan Barao, calling him one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport and remarking that the media hadn’t given enough credit to his eight-year, 32-fight undefeated streak, which has remained pristine since May 2005.

Barao has only tasted defeat once, and it was in the first fight of his career. The fact that he’s rebounded with the longest current undefeated streak in mixed martial arts — despite the fact that his first loss could have ruined his confidence forever — is absolutely amazing to me, as many young would-be prospects have crashed and burned in their debuts, never to be heard of again.

It got me thinking: What other mixed martial artists lost their first fight but then went on to have great success? I expected to bang out a list of ten fighters, but once I started doing the research, it blew my mind that some of the best fighters to ever compete in the sport, and a number of currently top 10-ranked fighters, actually lost their very first fight.

And so, I compiled a list of the top 24 MMA fighters of all time who lost their first fight. The list is based on accomplishments in the sport, overall skill level, and potential. Enjoy, and if I somehow missed somebody notable, please leave a comment below and explain why he or she should be included.

Honorable mentions: Matt “The Wizard” Hume (5-5), Wesley “Cabbage” Correira (20-15), Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo (18-2), Rodrigo Damm (11-6), James Te Huna (16-6)

24. Travis “The Ironman” Fulton (249-49-10, 1 NC)

(Photo via ThunderPromotions)

On July 26, 1996, at the age of 19 years old, Travis Fulton fought Dave Strasser in his MMA debut at Gladiators 1 in Davenport, Iowa, losing the fight via first-round submission. He then went on to win 249 fights, the most wins in mixed martial arts history. Fulton also holds the record for most fights (309) and most knockout wins (91) in MMA history.

Mind = blown.

Was Fulton a can crusher? Yes, yes he was. Or, should I say, yes he is, as he beat some nobody in his native Iowa just this past March. But you don’t win 249 MMA fights by accident, and Fulton deserves a place on this list based on volume alone.

23. Akihiro Gono (31-18-7)

(Photo via MMAWeekly)

Akihiro Gono was just 19 when the Japanese icon made his MMA debut in his home country against Yasunori Okuda in the first round of the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J’ 94, way back in April 1994. Like many of the fighters of the time, Gono wasn’t ready to defend submissions, and he tapped out to a first-round toe hold.

Gono may have lost the fight, but he would go on to have a very solid career that saw him compete in the UFC, PRIDE, Shooto, Pancrase, Sengoku, and finally Bellator, which would be his final stop.

In May 2012, after a solid 18-year run as a fan favorite, Gono fought for the last time against current Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler at Bellator 67, losing the fight via first-round KO.

22. Ikuhisa “Minowaman” Minowa (55-35-8)

Some will laugh that Minowaman is on this list, but he deserves to be after amassing a respectable 55-35-8 record during his cult-legendary career as a journeyman, where — like the great Fedor Emelianenko — he was notorious for fighting and beating larger opponents in the UFC, PRIDE, Dream and Pancrase, amongst other promotions.

However, he was also notorious for losing to some of them.

The first of his 35 losses came to Yuzo Tateishi via decision on March 30, 1996, at the Lumax Cup: Tournament of J ‘96 in Japan. It was the first of many career losses for Minowa, who started off his career 2-9-2 in his first 13 fights. To his credit though, he rebounded to eventually leave the sport with a winning record, and became a big star in PRIDE because he always put on exciting fights and feared no man.

The name “Minowaman” is always one that makes the hardcores’ hearts beat whenever anyone brings it up. Not bad for a guy who at first glance looked like he would contribute nothing in the sport.

21. Shonie “Mr. International” Carter (50-28-7, 1 NC)

(NOTE: The graphic in the video say his record was 3-1 but that tally likely referred to his amateur fights.)

Back on February 15, 1997 in – surprise, surprise – Iowa, a 24-year-old Shonie Carter got into his first professional MMA fight, the first of many for him.

It didn’t last long, however, as he was KO’ed by future five-time UFC vet Laverne Clark at Monte Cox’s Extreme Challenge 3, just nine seconds into the first round in what was the MMA debut of both men.

It became a classic KO in regional circuit MMA history.

Despite that early career loss, Carter then went on to have an unexpectedly awesome career where he attained 50 wins, including 26 by stoppage. He even made it to the Ultimate Fighting Championship and, in total, he fought six times in the UFC — one more than Clark, who knocked him out in that first battle.

One of those 26 aforementioned stoppage wins I mentioned — and one of the best KOs in UFC history — was his spinning back fist knockout of Matt Serra at UFC 31. Serra, who at the time was considered to be below Carter in the ranks, later defeated Georges St-Pierre at UFC 69 to win the UFC welterweight title. Carter, on the other hand, never quite made it to the top of the sport, to say the least, but at least he built a memorable persona as a stone-cold pimp.

20. Brian “Bad Boy” Ebersole (50-15-1, 1 NC)

(Photo via Tracy Lee/Yahoo!)

Brian Ebersole’s first MMA bout took place on February 24, 2000 against Chris Albandia at TCC – Total Combat Challenge in Chicago. He lost the fight via decision.

He was just 18 years old.

However, despite the loss, Ebersole has gone on to have an awesome journeyman career that has seen him compile an excellent record of 50-15-1, 1 NC.

Ebersole finally made it to the UFC in 2012, upsetting Chris Lytle at UFC 127 and then winning three more in a row before a split decision loss to James Head at UFC 149 ended his win streak. He has sat out the past year with injuries.

But things are looking up for Ebersole, as he will finally make his return to the cage at UFC 167 against Rick Story. It’s a difficult matchup on paper, but it’s winnable. And even if he loses, the fans get to see the Hairrow — well hopefully, anyways — or at least one of those fancy cartwheel kicks. Make it happen, Brian.

19. Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis (14-5)

(Photo via Invicta FC)

On April 7, 2007, at UCW 7 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, two unknown Canadian women fought each other. One was Sarah Kaufman, who would later go on to win the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champion and who will be making her UFC debut this Saturday at UFC 166, and the other was a 21-year-old Alexis Davis, who would eventually make it into the UFC as well.

On that night, Kaufman was the better woman, as she finished Davis via strikes in the third round. And Kaufman would demonstrate her superiority once again, defeating Davis via majority decision in March 2012 at Strikeforce: Tate vs. Rousey.

However, Davis looks to be on the rise, and she certainly showed her potential in defeating Rosi Sexton in her Octagon debut at UFC 161. If her and Kaufman ever meet for a trilogy match, it’s possible Davis might finally get a win over her rival.

Shit Just Got Real: Cody McKenzie Returns to Lightweight, Meets Sam Stout at ‘UFC on FOX 9?


(“Don’t…take…the blue pill…” Photo via Getty.) 

After likely saving his own UFC career by ending Leonard Garcia’s at UFC 159, it is being reported that TUF 12 alum Cody McKenzie will return to the lightweight division at UFC on FOX 9: Pettis vs. Thomson to take on veteran slugger Sam Stout.

Both fighters are arguably in a must-win situation, as both have dropped 3 of their past 5 contests. The cards are clearly more stacked against McKenzie, however, as his three octagon wins have all come over fighters who have since been released by the UFC — Aaron Wilkinson, Marcus Levesseur, and Garcia. “The AK Kid” was also recently dubbed “the worst fighter in the UFC” by Chael P. Sonnen, but he did provide the single greatest moment in The Ultimate Fighter history, so who the hell really knows what the future holds for this goofy, affable sonofabitch.

Stout, on the other hand, was most recently choked out by James Krause at UFC 161 in a Fight of the Night-earning affair. Prior to that, he notched a decision victory over Carlos Fodor at UFC 157. Prior to that, Stout was routed by John Makdessi at UFC 154 in a fight that highlighted his somewhat skewed interpretation of MMA scoring.

Official CP Prediction: Stout lights up McKenzie for a solid two rounds before running directly into the Alaskan’s signature McKenzietine. Upon waking up, Stout will retire from the sport in his post-fight interview, claiming that “He’s getting too old for this shit” and just wants a desk job. But in a shocking turn of events, Stout will immediately change his mind, snatch the mic from Joe Rogan’s hand, and inform the attending audience that he will be challenging the Michael Chandler/Eddie Alvarez winner for the Bellator lightweight title at an event TBD.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH ZEBENYAAAAAAA!!!!

–J. Jones


(“Don’t…take…the blue pill…” Photo via Getty.) 

After likely saving his own UFC career by ending Leonard Garcia’s at UFC 159, it is being reported that TUF 12 alum Cody McKenzie will return to the lightweight division at UFC on FOX 9: Pettis vs. Thomson to take on veteran slugger Sam Stout.

Both fighters are arguably in a must-win situation, as both have dropped 3 of their past 5 contests. The cards are clearly more stacked against McKenzie, however, as his three octagon wins have all come over fighters who have since been released by the UFC — Aaron Wilkinson, Marcus Levesseur, and Garcia. “The AK Kid” was also recently dubbed “the worst fighter in the UFC” by Chael P. Sonnen, but he did provide the single greatest moment in The Ultimate Fighter history, so who the hell really knows what the future holds for this goofy, affable sonofabitch.

Stout, on the other hand, was most recently choked out by James Krause at UFC 161 in a Fight of the Night-earning affair. Prior to that, he notched a decision victory over Carlos Fodor at UFC 157. Prior to that, Stout was routed by John Makdessi at UFC 154 in a fight that highlighted his somewhat skewed interpretation of MMA scoring.

Official CP Prediction: Stout lights up McKenzie for a solid two rounds before running directly into the Alaskan’s signature McKenzietine. Upon waking up, Stout will retire from the sport in his post-fight interview, claiming that “He’s getting too old for this shit” and just wants a desk job. But in a shocking turn of events, Stout will immediately change his mind, snatch the mic from Joe Rogan’s hand, and inform the attending audience that he will be challenging the Michael Chandler/Eddie Alvarez winner for the Bellator lightweight title at an event TBD.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH ZEBENYAAAAAAA!!!!

–J. Jones

UFC 161 Aftermath: Winnipeg is For Lovers


Photo via Tom Szczerbowski/USA TODAY Sports

By Elias Cepeda

UFC 161 had some good fights to watch and learn from but if you’re one of the folks who paid the $217.00 or so that UFC pay per views now go for, and if you were drunk (those who do the former are often the latter during bouts) you may have been a bit disappointed with the action. In the main event, Rashad Evans turned up the heat in the third round against Dan Henderson and earned a split decision win.

The fight was close, and fought in spurts, but Evans looked impressive in coming back from being knocked down in the first round and in tiring Hendo and working the former Olympic wrestler over in his own sweet spot – the clinch. Evans gets back on the winning track but looks a long way from being able to challenge champion Jon Jones as he says he wants to once more.

Henderson certainly did not embarrass himself – he never has – but for the second consecutive fight, the forty two year-old looked to be the weaker and slower fighter in losing a close decision. Maybe that has to do with his age, maybe it has to do with the fact that both fights occurred against top light heavyweights.

Put the hard-earned legend of Henderson aside for a moment and remember that the man is a middleweight that, for reasons of crazy ability and guts, fights light heavyweights and heavyweights. Henderson is no where near a title shot at this point, in any division. It will be interesting to see how much motivation he has to keep fighting without more gold in his reach.


Photo via Tom Szczerbowski/USA TODAY Sports

By Elias Cepeda

UFC 161 had some good fights to watch and learn from but if you’re one of the folks who paid the $217.00 or so that UFC pay per views now go for, and if you were drunk (those who do the former are often the latter during bouts) you may have been a bit disappointed with the action. In the main event, Rashad Evans turned up the heat in the third round against Dan Henderson and earned a split decision win.

The fight was close, and fought in spurts, but Evans looked impressive in coming back from being knocked down in the first round and in tiring Hendo and working the former Olympic wrestler over in his own sweet spot – the clinch. Evans gets back on the winning track but looks a long way from being able to challenge champion Jon Jones as he says he wants to once more.

Henderson certainly did not embarrass himself – he never has – but for the second consecutive fight, the forty two year-old looked to be the weaker and slower fighter in losing a close decision. Maybe that has to do with his age, maybe it has to do with the fact that both fights occurred against top light heavyweights.

Put the hard-earned legend of Henderson aside for a moment and remember that the man is a middleweight that, for reasons of crazy ability and guts, fights light heavyweights and heavyweights. Henderson is no where near a title shot at this point, in any division. It will be interesting to see how much motivation he has to keep fighting without more gold in his reach.


Stipe Miocic (right) lands an uppercut on Roy Nelson | Photo via BloodyElbow

The Fight of The Night came on the under card. James Krause and Sam Stout duked it out for almost three full rounds before Krause caught “Hands of Stone” in a guillotine choke, forcing the submission. Each man was awarded an $50,000 for producing the Fight of The Night.

Krause, who had the card’s only submission, also earned an additional $50,000 for Submission of The Night. UFC 161′s only knockout of the night won, surprise, Knockout Of The Night.

Shawn Jordan used a nasty punch combo to put Pat Barry down early in the first round of their heavyweight clash. Way too many left hand hooks to a grounded Barry brought about the stoppage.

Jordan now has won two straight and is $50,000 richer.

Stipe Miocic just made his future a lot brighter with a dominating win over UFC ranked #5 heavyweight Roy Nelson. The undersized Nelson was never in the fight with Stipe.

Miocic hadn’t fought in nine months, since getting knocked out by Stefan Struve, and both men took this fight on relatively short notice. Miocic controlled the grappling, avoided Nelson’s over hand right and tagged and moved over and again for three rounds, leaving “Big Country” gasping for air and unable to hold his arms up.

Bantamweight women Alexis Davis and Rosi Sexton put on a good scrap for three rounds. The Canadian Davis bested the British Sexton and won a unanimous decision.

The win is Davis’ third straight. Sexton’s loss snapped her own three fight win streak.

UFC 161: Most Underrated Fights on this Weekend’s Card

Despite the loss of its co-main event, UFC 161 is heading for Winnipeg with a solid card. While the losses of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Shogun Rua, Eddie Wineland and Renan Barao took away star power, this weekend’s event makes up for it with a c…

Despite the loss of its co-main event, UFC 161 is heading for Winnipeg with a solid card.

While the losses of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, Shogun Rua, Eddie Wineland and Renan Barao took away star power, this weekend’s event makes up for it with a card of solid fights that look to be entertaining.

The main event between Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson will obviously take most of the media attention, as a battle between two former champions always will, but UFC 161 has other matchups that are sure to send fans home happy.

Let’s take a look at a few fights from this weekend that should prove to be exciting.

 

Sam Stout vs. James Krause

Sixteen-time UFC veteran Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout will once again enter the Octagon in front of a home crowd, as the Canadian-born kickboxer will take on UFC newcomer James Krause.

Stout will come into this weekend having won his last fight, a split decision over Caros Fodor, while also winning four of his last six. Stout has a 29-8 career record, which includes nine knockouts and five Fight of the Night bonuses.

The debuting Krause enters the Octagon with a 19-4 record, having fought in the WEC and Bellator. He also featured briefly on Season 15 of The Ultimate Fighter, where he was upset in the first round. The submission specialist Krause has finished 12 of his 19 career wins by submission, while also recording five knockouts.

Look for Krause to take this fight to the ground and look for the submission while Stout will look to bang. Expect Stout to keep the fight standing, while landing a few flurries on the way to an exciting unanimous-decision victory.

 

Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley

Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Jake Shields takes on former Strikeforce Welterweight Title contender Tyron Woodley in this welterweight bout.

Shields has hit something of a rough patch since making his way to the UFC as he has lost to both Georges St. Pierre and Jake Ellenburger. His last fight, a decision win over Ed Herman, was overturned after Shields failed a post-fight drug test. Shields may be one mistake away from being out of the world’s premier MMA organization

Woodley, on the other hand, impressed in his UFC debut, where he recorded a 36-second knockout of veteran Jay Hieron. Woodley has only one loss on his record, a knockout from the hands of Nate Marquardt, while also recording victories over UFC veterans Paul Daley and Jordan Mein.

Both fighters are known for their wrestling abilities, as Shields relies on a smothering top game to break down his opponents. However, T-Wood is game when it comes to defending takedowns, as the former Missouri wrestler comes from a strong amateur background.

Look for Woodley to keep the fight standing, where he has shown he possesses knockout power, as he TKO’s Shields late in the fight.

 

Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan

The always-entertaining Barry enters the Octagon with momentum, as The Ultimate Fighter 16 Finale Knockout of the Night winner will take on Shawn “The Savage” Jordan.

Barry is coming off of an impressive second-round knockout of former Strikeforce prospect Shane Del Rosario. Barry is known for his entertaining style of kickboxing, as only one of his 13 career fights have gone to the scorecards.

Jordan is also coming off of an impressive performance, as his last fight was a TKO of heavyweight veteran Mike Russow. Jordan’s resume features an impressive 10 knockouts and three submissions, while only three of his 18 career fights have gone to decision.

Look for this to be a standup battle, which favors the more experienced kickboxer, Barry. Jordan will get a few takedowns, but Barry’s much-improved ground game will keep him afloat when Jordan puts pressure on him.

While consistency has never been Barry’s thing, expect him to finally put together back-to-back UFC wins as he earns a TKO victory in a contest that keeps fans on their toes. 

 

What do you think of this weekend’s card? Make your predictions in the comment box below!

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Booking Roundup: UFC 162 Adds Munoz vs. Boetsch, Benavidez, Maldonado, Tibau, & Stout Get Next Opponents


(Using so-phisticated technology, Jurassic Park scientists were able to extract the preserved blood from Munoz’s bone spurs and BINGO! Dino DNA. Photo via Munoz’s Twitter.) 

Fact: Chris Weidman hits so hard that his victims often fail to quantify the force of his punches until weeks and sometimes months after they’ve been hit. Just ask middleweight contender Mark Munoz, who received such a vicious beating at the hands of Weidman last July that his bones began to disintegrate over the course of the year in an attempt to deal with the shock. Hell, even Weidman’s body cracked under the pressure of possessing two pipe bombs for hands. So it’s quite fitting that, almost a year to the day after their clash at UFC on FUEL 4, both Weidman and Munoz have been booked to return to action at UFC 162. 

While Weidman is already scheduled to face off against Anderson Silva for the middleweight title in the evening’s main event, Munoz will taking on the man Weidman was expected to face at UFC 155, Tim Boetsch.

If you recall, Weidman’s teammate, Costa Phillipou, quickly stepped in as a replacement against Boetsch at UFC 155 and managed to successfully cut “The Barbarian’s” title hopes right out from under him with a series of eye pokes and headbutts that were eventually declared a third round TKO. Prior to the loss, Boetsch had racked up 4 straight wins in the middleweight division over the likes of Hector Lombard and Yushin Okami among others. Will ring rust play a factor in Munoz’s return to the octagon, or will Boetsch launch himself right back into the short list of contenders at middleweight with a win here?

Munoz vs. Boetsch is just one of several exciting matchups to be announced within the past few hours, so join us after the jump to check out the chronologically-sorted list.


(Using so-phisticated technology, Jurassic Park scientists were able to extract the preserved blood from Munoz’s bone spurs and BINGO! Dino DNA. Photo via Munoz’s Twitter.) 

Fact: Chris Weidman hits so hard that his victims often fail to quantify the force of his punches until weeks and sometimes months after they’ve been hit. Just ask middleweight contender Mark Munoz, who received such a vicious beating at the hands of Weidman last July that his bones began to disintegrate over the course of the year in an attempt to deal with the shock. Hell, even Weidman’s body cracked under the pressure of possessing two pipe bombs for hands. So it’s quite fitting that, almost a year to the day after their clash at UFC on FUEL 4, both Weidman and Munoz have been booked to return to action at UFC 162. 

While Weidman is already scheduled to face off against Anderson Silva for the middleweight title in the evening’s main event, Munoz will taking on the man Weidman was expected to face at UFC 155, Tim Boetsch.

If you recall, Weidman’s teammate, Costa Phillipou, quickly stepped in as a replacement against Boetsch at UFC 155 and managed to successfully cut “The Barbarian’s” title hopes right out from under him with a series of eye pokes and headbutts that were eventually declared a third round TKO. Prior to the loss, Boetsch had racked up 4 straight wins in the middleweight division over the likes of Hector Lombard and Yushin Okami among others. Will ring rust play a factor in Munoz’s return to the octagon, or will Boetsch launch himself right back into the short list of contenders at middleweight with a win here?

Munoz vs. Boetsch is just one of several exciting matchups to be announced within the past few hours, so join us after the jump to check out the chronologically-sorted list.

UFC on FOX 7 – April 20th 

Joseph Benavidez vs. Darren Uyenoyama: The former flyweight title challenger in Benavidez is on the heels of a unanimous decision victory over Ian McCall at UFC 156. Uyenoyama, on the other hand, recently made the drop to flyweight following a successful bantamweight debut victory over Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto at the inaugural UFC on FOX card. The grappling specialist looked more dangerous than ever at 125 lbs, successfully choking out Phil Harris in the second round of their scrap at UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot. 

Also booked for this event: TUF Brazil’s Hugo Viana vs. KO artist Francisco Rivera.

UFC 159 – April 27th

Johnny Bedford vs. Erik Perez: Despite getting viciously knocked out of the TUF 14 tournament by eventual bantamweight winner John Dodson, Bedford has been killing it ever since entering the deep waters of the UFC’s bantamweight division. The hard-hitting Ohioan cruised past Louis Gaudinot en route to a third round TKO at the TUF 14 Finale before absolutely blistering Marcos Vinicius at the TUF 16 Finale last December. Bedford will have his hands full when he takes on fellow slugger Erik Perez, who has finished all three of his opponents since entering the organization in June of 2012. Here’s a video of his 17-second blitzkrieging of WEC veteran Ken Stone in case you are still questioning how this fight will end.

UFC on FX 8 – May 18th

Fabio Maldonado vs. Roger Hollett: Although he was nothing short of savaged in his last fight against Glover Teixeira at UFC 153, Fabio Maldonado gained the respect of fans worldwide for his unbreakable chin and unquestionable heart in the face of defeat — he even received a “Thanks for losing years off your life” bonus check from the UFC for that performance. Although he has dropped his past three fights, Maldonado is set to take on Bellator vet Roger Hollett at the Rockhold vs. Belfort-headlined UFC on FX 8. It’s likely a do-or-die fight for either man but especially for Hollett, who completely dropped the ball in his UFC debut against Matt Hamill at UFC 152.

Also booked for this event: Gleison Tibau vs. John Cholish.

UFC 161 – June 15

Sam Stout vs. Isaac Vallie-Flaag: Following a successful promotional debut victory over Yves Edwards at UFC 156, the relatively unknown Vallie-Flaag will be given a very similar test for his sophomore appearance when he faces 15-fight UFC veteran Sam Stout. After getting out-jogged by John Makdessi at UFC 154 (at least according to Stout), “Hands of Stone” rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over Caros Fodor at UFC 157 last month.

Also booked for this event: Sean Pierson vs. TJ Waldburger.

Predictions, please.

–J. Jones

UFC 157: What We Learned from Caros Fodor vs. Sam Stout

Sam Stout kicked off UFC 157 preliminary action on FX against Octagon newcomer Caros Fodor. Both fighters suffered losses in their most recent fights, and the desperation for victory was clear on each end as the fight progressed. Fodor consta…

Sam Stout kicked off UFC 157 preliminary action on FX against Octagon newcomer Caros Fodor. 

Both fighters suffered losses in their most recent fights, and the desperation for victory was clear on each end as the fight progressed. 

Fodor constantly pushed forward and stayed in Stout’s face with punches and a strong clinch game, but Stout was a little cleaner on the feet and landed the more significant blows throughout. 

In addition, Fodor was unable to control Stout on the mat, and the Canadian showed nice takedown defense and superior strength in avoiding Fodor‘s ground game. 

For his crisper striking, refined grappling skills and veteran Octagon control, Stout took home a split-decision victory. 

 

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

This fight was pretty forgettable. I’ve never been a huge Stout fan, and this fight serves as another instance where he never looked outstanding in any area but was just good enough everywhere to edge his opponent. 

In Round 1, Stout secured a takedown late and eventually mounted Fodor as the round ended, and that was the most dominant position established by either fighter throughout the fight. 

Fodor, to his credit, looked to be in great shape, but he just could not string anything together against the veteran stout. 

 

What We Learned About Fodor

Fodor showed he has a deep gas tank and can take a shot in this fight. More importantly, he showed he can hang in the UFC’s lightweight division (at least at the lower levels).

 

What We Learned About Stout

Stout did not show us anything new in this fight. His clinch game and overall grappling looked slightly improved, but overall, it was the same “take a punch to give a punch” Stout we have seen in the past. At this point, it is pretty clear Stout will never be a top-level lightweight, but he is still a good measuring stick for Octagon newcomers. 

 

What’s Next for Fodor?

Fodor looked pretty tough in this fight, and I can see him overwhelming a lower-level lightweight not named Sam Stout in his next outing.

Still, the UFC is handing out pink slips like candy on Halloween, and Fodor might not have another UFC fight on his contract. 

If he does, the loser of Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice or Michael Chiesa vs. Anton Kuivanen makes sense for Fodor moving forward. 

 

What’s Next for Stout?

Stout will continue to beat inexperienced and low-tier lightweights while faltering against the division’s best. 

The winner of Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice will make a great next opponent for “Hands of Stone.” 

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