Tag: Sean Sherk

UFC 131: Does Kenny Florian Deserve a Title Shot with a Win Against Diego Nunes?

While most of the hype around UFC 131 is centered on the main event between Junior Dos Santos and Shane Carwin, there is another fighter who is likely a win away from a title shot this Sunday. Kenny Florian is making his featherweight debut against Die…

While most of the hype around UFC 131 is centered on the main event between Junior Dos Santos and Shane Carwin, there is another fighter who is likely a win away from a title shot this Sunday.

Kenny Florian is making his featherweight debut against Diego Nunes this weekend, and due to fortunate circumstances and marketability alone, he’ll likely get a title shot with a win.

But does he deserve it?

Florian has already gotten two shots at UFC gold and came up short both times, getting dominated by Sean Sherk and looking sluggish before being submitted by BJ Penn back at UFC 101.

Florian worked his way back into the title picture by August of last year, but was controlled by Gray Maynard at UFC 118, losing a shot at the title in front of his hometown crowd.

After the loss to Maynard, Florian decided to make the cut to 145.

Due to Chad Mendes passing on a title shot with Jose Aldo in favor of staying active and fighting Rani Yahya in August, there is no clear contender for the featherweight belt when Aldo returns, which is likely to happen in the Fall.

With the most recognizable name in the division and the ability to finish a fight both standing and on the feet, Florian is an attractive option for the UFC to throw into the fire against Aldo.

While Mendes is clearly the second-best guy at 145, and Florian will own just one win in the division if he beats Nunes, he still might be the most qualified fighter available to fight Aldo this fall.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 13 Finale Results: Clay Guida and the Top 5 UFC Lightweight Wrestlers

Clay Guida defeated Anthony Pettis with a dominant wrestling game.There are plenty of other talented wrestlers in the UFC lightweight division, so how does Guida stack up?As he continues his push towards the top of the division and a potential future t…

Clay Guida defeated Anthony Pettis with a dominant wrestling game.

There are plenty of other talented wrestlers in the UFC lightweight division, so how does Guida stack up?

As he continues his push towards the top of the division and a potential future title shot, Guida is going to have to face fighters with his level of wrestling or even greater.

The top guys are all so talented that advantages are determined by a matter of milliseconds and centimeters. These are the top five wrestlers in the UFC’s lightweight division.

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Clay Guida and 10 Fighters Who Would Benefit Most from Having 5-Round Fights

It’s getting to the point where fights will need to go more than three rounds to determine a clear winner. There have been many recent instances where fans have wished a fight had been five rounds instead of three.Not only would it result in more finis…

It’s getting to the point where fights will need to go more than three rounds to determine a clear winner. There have been many recent instances where fans have wished a fight had been five rounds instead of three.

Not only would it result in more finishes, it would also be an intriguing challenge for each fighter to fight harder when the fight gets deep in the fourth and fifth rounds, and their are many who do this already but rarely get to show it because they aren’t fighting for a title.

These are 10 non-champions who would benefit most from five-round fights.

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Nick Thompson Trades Cage for Court, Retiring from MMA to Practice Law

Filed under: Fighting, FanHouse ExclusiveOn Monday morning, Nick Thompson was at his desk at O’Flaherty, Heim, Egan and Birnbaum, a Wisconsin law firm in which he specializes in criminal and personal injury law. Less than 36 hours earlier, Thompson was…

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On Monday morning, Nick Thompson was at his desk at O’Flaherty, Heim, Egan and Birnbaum, a Wisconsin law firm in which he specializes in criminal and personal injury law. Less than 36 hours earlier, Thompson was in a cage, fighting the former Olympic wrestler and current Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren. Upon losing a unanimous decision, Thompson, a 29-year-old who once held a place among MMA’s top 10 welterweights, retired from competition.

For a fighter who had competed in nearly every top organization including the UFC, Strikeforce, EliteXC and Sengoku, it was a surprising decision, but one that was a long time coming.

Thompson says the beginning of the end came in July 2008, when he fought for a championship and passed the Minnesota bar exam in a one-week span. At the time, he had just just turned 27 years old and was in the best stretch of his career, winning 20 of his last 21 fights. He had just completed the best training camp he’d ever experienced as a pro, had cracked the top 10, and took that wave of momentum into an EliteXC championship match with Jake Shields. Everything suggested he was in the prime of his career and would give Shields a run. But when the fight came, Thompson was overwhelmed, and tapped out to a guillotine choke in just 64 seconds.

In the aftermath of the loss, Thompson faced the reality of what happened.

Melvin Guillard Aims to Silence Detractors in Fight Against Dunham

Filed under: UFC, FanHouse ExclusiveMelvin Guillard woke up one morning and realized that he had to change his life. Then he did. It’s as simple as that, the UFC lightweight told MMA Fighting.

“I made a lot of mistakes after my father died,” said Guil…

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Melvin Guillard woke up one morning and realized that he had to change his life. Then he did. It’s as simple as that, the UFC lightweight told MMA Fighting.

“I made a lot of mistakes after my father died,” said Guillard. “I made a lot of excuses for myself, and that’s something I don’t do now. I don’t make excuses. Everything I did, I did because I wanted to do. Nobody ever forced me to do anything. I used my dad’s death as a scapegoat to be able to get away with things I was doing, and that was wrong. My dad taught me not to make excuses, and using his death as an excuse is one of the most hurtful things I could have done.”

Some of Guillard’s personal problems are already a matter of public record, such as when he tested positive for cocaine following a loss to Joe Stevenson in 2007. But beyond just that, Guillard said, was a core problem with his attitude toward life.

Evan Dunham: Guillard’s New Style Is One Way to Fight, but Not My Way

Filed under: UFCOf all the people who were outraged over the judges’ decision that gave Sean Sherk a win over Evan Dunham at UFC 119, the first one to let it go and move past it might have been Dunham himself.

Others – including UFC president Dana Whi…

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Of all the people who were outraged over the judges’ decision that gave Sean Sherk a win over Evan Dunham at UFC 119, the first one to let it go and move past it might have been Dunham himself.

Others – including UFC president Dana White – can put a mental asterisk next to the defeat in the record books if they want, but don’t expect Dunham to join in.

“I definitely had a period where I thought a lot more about it, but it’s over. It’s done,” said Dunham. “I don’t think [Sherk] won that fight, but I see it for what it is. I don’t think about it too much anymore. I’ve got better things to do, like get ready to fight on the 22nd. It was a good experience, and it felt good to perform well against someone of his caliber, but when you look at it on paper, whether it’s now or five years from now, it’s a loss.”