Tag: Siyar Bahadurzada

Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann Confirmed for ‘UFC on FUEL 8? Headliner, Diego Sanchez Returns to Lightweight vs. Takanori Gomi


(“Yeah, I have a question for the group: Is anybody *not* getting too old for this shit?” / Photo via Sherdog)

A pair of former PRIDE champions will be anchoring the UFC’s return to Japan. As confirmed by the promotion yesterday, UFC on FUEL 8 is slated for Sunday, March 3rd, at the Saitama Super Arena, with Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann booked for the main event. [Update: The fight will take place at light-heavyweight.] Both men are coming off of decision losses, with Silva dropping his rematch to Rich Franklin at UFC 147 in June, and Stann losing to Michael Bisping in September.

Though Silva probably has little recollection of the last time he competed in Saitama, the Axe Murderer became an MMA superstar in Japan, where he went undefeated through his first 20 fights in PRIDE and held the middleweight title for over five years. But his current stint in the UFC — where he’s won just three of eight fights since 2007 — has suggested that Silva is nearing the end of the road, and his next bad loss could be his last. Can he come up with another heroic effort against the All American?

Speaking of PRIDE legends, longtime lightweight champ Takanori Gomi will be welcoming Diego Sanchez back to the lightweight division at UFC on FUEL 8. Gomi has won his last two UFC fights against Eiji Mitsuoka and Mac Danzig, while Sanchez is coming off a decision defeat against Jake Ellenberger in February. Sanchez hasn’t competed at 155 pounds since being utterly shredded by BJ Penn during their lightweight title fight three years ago.

Pretty damn good for a free card, right? Keep in mind that the event will also feature the heavyweight battle between Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve, plus the following newly-announced supporting bouts…


(“Yeah, I have a question for the group: Is anybody *not* getting too old for this shit?” / Photo via Sherdog)

A pair of former PRIDE champions will be anchoring the UFC’s return to Japan. As confirmed by the promotion yesterday, UFC on FUEL 8 is slated for Sunday, March 3rd, at the Saitama Super Arena, with Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann booked for the main event. [Update: The fight will take place at light-heavyweight.] Both men are coming off of decision losses, with Silva dropping his rematch to Rich Franklin at UFC 147 in June, and Stann losing to Michael Bisping in September.

Though Silva probably has little recollection of the last time he competed in Saitama, the Axe Murderer became an MMA superstar in Japan, where he went undefeated through his first 20 fights in PRIDE and held the middleweight title for over five years. But his current stint in the UFC — where he’s won just three of eight fights since 2007 — has suggested that Silva is nearing the end of the road, and his next bad loss could be his last. Can he come up with another heroic effort against the All American?

Speaking of PRIDE legends, longtime lightweight champ Takanori Gomi will be welcoming Diego Sanchez back to the lightweight division at UFC on FUEL 8. Gomi has won his last two UFC fights against Eiji Mitsuoka and Mac Danzig, while Sanchez is coming off a decision defeat against Jake Ellenberger in February. Sanchez hasn’t competed at 155 pounds since being utterly shredded by BJ Penn during their lightweight title fight three years ago.

Pretty damn good for a free card, right? Keep in mind that the event will also feature the heavyweight battle between Mark Hunt and Stefan Struve, plus the following newly-announced supporting bouts…

Dong-Hyun Kim vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (WW): Coincidentally, both of these guys are coming off wins against Paulo Thiago. However, Bahadurzada hasn’t competed since April due to a hand injury.

Riki Fukuda vs. Brad Tavares (MW): Tavares is on a two-fight win streak with decisions against Dongi Yang and Tom Watson, while Fukuda retired Tom DeBlass in his last appearance.

Cristiano Marcello vs. Kazuki Tokudome (LW): Though he entered the UFC through TUF: Live, Cristiano Marcello may be best known as the guy who choked out Krazy Horse Bennett backstage at a PRIDE event. (He also competed once in PRIDE, losing a decision to Mitsuhiro Ishida in 2006.) Fresh off a decision win against Reza Madadi, he’ll be facing Tokodune, an 11-3 Pancrase vet who will be making his UFC debut.

Takeya Mizugaki vs. Bryan Caraway (BW): Mizugaki, the longtime WEC/UFC vet who is due for a defeat based on his incredibly consistent habit of alternating between wins and losses, will be facing Miesha’s Tate arm-candy Bryan Caraway, who has submitted Dustin Neace and Mitch Gagnon since his stint on TUF 14.

Alex Caceres vs. Kyung Ho Kang (BW): With back-to-back victories over Damacio Page and Motonobu Tezuka — and shout-outs from Ben Henderson himself — things have been looking up for the former yard-fighter known as “Bruce Leroy.” He’ll be welcoming Road FC champ Kyung Ho Kang into the Octagon.

UFC 151: Josh Koscheck Injured and out of Jake Ellenberger Bout

UFC 151 is now in need of a new co-main event as the troubling injury bug has struck again. This time, the victim is Josh Koscheck.According to MMAWeekly, a bulging disc in the back of Koscheck has forced him to pull out of the UFC 151 co-main bout aga…

UFC 151 is now in need of a new co-main event as the troubling injury bug has struck again. This time, the victim is Josh Koscheck.

According to MMAWeekly, a bulging disc in the back of Koscheck has forced him to pull out of the UFC 151 co-main bout against Jake Ellenberger.

UFC 151 is scheduled for September 1st and will be headlined by a UFC light heavyweight championship bout between Champion Jon Jones and former Pride champion Dan Henderson.

The UFC will now be in a tough spot to find a new opponent for Ellenberger with just a little over three weeks remaining before the card.

Other bouts on the main card include a featherweight bout between Dennis Siver and Eddie Yagin, and a lightweight bout between Michael Johnson and Danny Castillo.

One name that comes to mind to possibly replace Koscheck is Siyar Bahadurzada, who earlier this week, threw his name in the hat to face B.J. Penn when Rory MacDonald was forced to pull out of UFC 152.

While Ellenberger is no B.J. Penn, he is still a top ten guy in the packed welterweight division, and a match-up against Bahadurzada would still be a nice co-main event—especially on less than a month notice.

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With Rory MacDonald Out, Jon Fitch and Siyar Bahadurzada Rally for BJ Penn Fight


I don’t always go to weddings. But when I do, I am almost interesting.

When it was announced that Rory MacDonald had suffered an injury and pulled out of his upcoming bout with BJ Penn at UFC 152, Penn seemed content to sit out and wait for MacDonald to heal. Because the fight against MacDonald was Penn’s motivation to come out of retirement, BJ Penn appears to be, dare I say, determined to fight the heir apparent to Georges St. Pierre. Yet despite Penn’s plans to wait for MacDonald, both Jon Fitch and Siyar Bahadurzada have volunteered to step in on short notice to fight BJ Penn.

It’s not hard to figure out why either man wants this fight, yet it’s doubtful that we’ll be still seeing BJ Penn across the cage from one of them any time soon.

Perhaps the more transparent – and also less likely to come to fruition – callout of the two is Jon Fitch’s casual suggestion that he should be fighting BJ Penn at UFC 153. I say this because Jon Fitch already has an opponent for UFC 153, and it is none other than Brazilian wrecking ball Erick Silva. As we’ve pointed out when the fight was booked, Silva is anything but a rebound fight for the thirty four year old AKA product. Considering that Fitch hasn’t won a fight since he beat Thiago Alves two years ago, a loss to Silva – which is certainly not outside the realm of possibility – can easily end his hopes of ever earning another title shot in the UFC.


I don’t always go to weddings. But when I do, I am almost interesting.

When it was announced that Rory MacDonald had suffered an injury and pulled out of his upcoming bout with BJ Penn at UFC 152, Penn seemed content to sit out and wait for MacDonald to heal. Because the fight against MacDonald was Penn’s motivation to come out of retirement, BJ Penn appears to be, dare I say, determined to fight the heir apparent to Georges St. Pierre. Yet despite Penn’s plans to wait for MacDonald, both Jon Fitch and Siyar Bahadurzada have volunteered to step in on short notice to fight BJ Penn.

It’s not hard to figure out why either man wants this fight, yet it’s doubtful that we’ll be still seeing BJ Penn across the cage from one of them any time soon.

Perhaps the more transparent – and also less likely to come to fruition – callout of the two is Jon Fitch’s casual suggestion that he should be fighting BJ Penn at UFC 153. I say this because Jon Fitch already has an opponent for UFC 153, and it is none other than Brazilian wrecking ball Erick Silva. As we’ve pointed out when the fight was booked, Silva is anything but a rebound fight for the thirty four year old AKA product. Considering that Fitch hasn’t won a fight since he beat Thiago Alves two years ago, a loss to Silva – which is certainly not outside the realm of possibility – can easily end his hopes of ever earning another title shot in the UFC.

And honestly, I’m sure I speak for most of us when I say I’d be okay with that. Even though BJ Penn and Jon Fitch are still tough fights for anyone to draw, they represent the past, not the future, of our sport. Watching Fitch attempt to avenge a recent draw on his record to BJ Penn, who would later call him a “glass jawed poser,” is nothing more than a regression. Like Ben asked about the “Bringing back your old self” ban, does the old Jon Fitch/BJ Penn really excite you more than the new Erick Silva? Didn’t think so, so let’s not bump the Brazilian prospect off of a card in his home country to relive a fight that, frankly, wasn’t worth remembering in the first place.

As for Siyar Bahadurzada, he recently began campaigning for the BJ Penn fight via his Twitter account, going so far as to offer to donate his entire purse to charity to prove that he isn’t fighting BJ for the money.

Siyar certainly is an intriguing enough fight for BJ Penn to consider. “The Great” impressed fans with a quick, brutal knockout over Paulo Thiago in his UFC debut at UFC on FUEL TV 2. Fans have been patiently waiting for more of him, and even though Penn recently retired, he’s still a big enough name to make this a marketable fight.

There’s just one problem: While Rory MacDonald is widely regarded as the future of the welterweight division, Bahadurzada is still only known for his lone UFC appearance. If Penn is coming out of retirement to see if he can compete against the next generation, a victory over Siyar The Great will not prove this. This isn’t to say that Siyar Bahadurzada won’t be an exceptional talent – or even that he isn’t already – but rather he isn’t nearly as established of a name as Rory MacDonald currently is.

That all being said, what do you think? Are you okay with BJ Penn waiting for Rory MacDonald? Would you like to watch Jon Fitch redeem himself against Penn? Would you like to see Bahadurzada prove his greatness? Let us know.

@SethFalvo

Clements Is Good at Taking Beatings and Is Ready to Give Riddle One at UFC 149

Sometimes it takes fighters longer than others to get to the UFC. Unlike his opponent at UFC 149, Matt Riddle, who’s fought his whole career in the UFC, it took Chris Clements seven years to get into the UFC.Clements (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) looks to contin…

Sometimes it takes fighters longer than others to get to the UFC. Unlike his opponent at UFC 149, Matt Riddle, who’s fought his whole career in the UFC, it took Chris Clements seven years to get into the UFC.

Clements (11-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) looks to continue his run in the UFC as he takes on Matt Riddle (6-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) to kick off the main card at UFC 149 on Saturday night.

It was a long, grinding road for Clements to get into the UFC. He made his debut at UFC 145 in April with a unanimous decision victory over Keith Wisniewski.

Clements holds the world record for the quickest knockout in MMA history when he knocked out Lautaro Tucas in three seconds in May of 2006. He attributes that to part of the reason why it took him so long to get to the biggest stage in MMA.

“A lot of it I think has to do with that world record,” Clements told Bleacher Report. “I think after I came onto the scene, I knock a guy out in three seconds.

“It was really hard for me to get fights. Especially from where I come from in Ontario, it was illegal for MMA and it’s not feasible. No one who sucks is gonna fight me after I just knocked a guy out in three seconds.

“So in order for a promoter to get somebody to fight me, that person is gonna have to be a higher-ranked guy, and they would have to pay him a lot more money to come. I’m not a local guy, either, so now they’re spending money on two guys who can’t sell tickets.

“It took me a long time to build up a record because I couldn’t get a fight. If I did get a fight, I would have to fight a bigger guy and it was usually last-minute.”

UFC 149 has gone through a lot of changes to the card. Clements was added to the card at the beginning of June to replace Thiago Alves and face Siyar Bahadurzada.

Then, Bahadurzada had to bow out at the beginning of this month, and Riddle stepped in. Clements feels Bahadurzada would have gotten up the title ladder much quicker, but feels Riddle has more game.

“They’re both great opponents for me,” Clements stated. “I think Siyar is a standup fighter. He’s around my height, he’s right handed, we both have a lot of power. But, he was more of a building guy. He was the guy that would launch me way up in the rankings.

“At the same time, I’m not one of those guys that’s trying to go up in the rankings. I just want to go in there and have fun. Put on exciting fights and more people want to watch me fight.

“Matt Riddle is a great guy for that at the same time as well. Stylistically, I think me and Siyar would have been an easy fight to figure out. Where Matt has a little bit more game, but Matt is not great at anything. He’s more well-rounded, but he’s not a superior striker like Siyar is. He is more well-rounded and you don’t know what he’s gonna do.”

Clements respects everything that Riddle has in done in the cage, but he is ready to take a beating in order for him to give Riddle one and secure a victory in his home country.

“I like Matt as a fighter,” Clements stated. “He’s a good character and he keeps a smile on his face. He seems to enjoy being in there, kind of like myself. He comes to fight, the same as I do.

“I think he is a great opponent, especially since I’m expecting a big bonus at the end of the night against a guy like him. He can go out there, give it to him and he’s gonna keep trying to come back and get more. He’s good at taking beatings and I’m good at giving beatings.”

UFC 149 takes place on Saturday night at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Clements vs. Riddle fight is on the main card, and you can see it live only on pay-per view starting at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT.

You can listen to the entire interview with Chris Clements here.

You can also follow me on Twitter @fightclubchi.

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And Today’s UFC 149 Injury Victim Is…Siyar Bahadurzada


Injury victim, or karma victim?

We don’t have an easy way to break this to you, so we’ll just come out and say it: Afghan knockout artist Siyar Bahadurzada has been sent to live with our friend who owns a farm upstate. He’ll be able to frolic in an open field to his heart’s desire, and he’ll have plenty of friends to play with. Because of this, he won’t be fighting at UFC 149 against Chris Clements.

Just kidding, he’s out with an undisclosed injury. What, you actually believed your parents when they told you your dog was living on a farm upstate? That’s adorable.


Injury victim, or karma victim?

We don’t have an easy way to break this to you, so we’ll just come out and say it: Afghan knockout artist Siyar Bahadurzada has been sent to live with our friend who owns a farm upstate. He’ll be able to frolic in an open field to his heart’s desire, and he’ll have plenty of friends to play with. Because of this, he won’t be fighting at UFC 149 against Chris Clements. 

Just kidding, he’s out with an undisclosed injury. What, you actually believed your parents when they told you your dog was living on a farm upstate? That’s adorable.

Replacing Bahadurzada will be Matt Riddle. Riddle is coming off of a split-decision over Henry Martinez,  a lightweight who took the welterweight bout on short notice, at UFC 143. The victory snapped a two fight skid which saw him drop unanimous decisions to Sean Pierson and Lance Benoist.

Okay, so it’s not the most compelling matchup, but given the way that injuries have ravaged this card, it’s a small miracle we even have a UFC 149.

For those of you keeping score, this bout was initially set to be Thiago Alves vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama, which became Alves vs. Bahadurzada after an injury to Sexyama, which became Bahadurzada vs. Clements after an injury to Alves, and is now Clements vs. Riddle after an injury to Bahadurzada. And this doesn’t even put a dent in the injuries that have plagued the rest of the card.

We’d ask who ya got for this one, but honestly, the odds are pretty good that this bout is going to be changed before it’s all said and done.

UFC 149: Clements Jumps at the Chance for a Tough Fight in Calgary

With fighters dropping like flies off the UFC 149 card, Canadian welterweight Chris “The Menace” Clements jumped quickly for a fight after Thiago Alves was forced out of his bout with Siyar Bahadurzada.”I called and asked for it”, Clements said over th…

With fighters dropping like flies off the UFC 149 card, Canadian welterweight Chris “The Menace” Clements jumped quickly for a fight after Thiago Alves was forced out of his bout with Siyar Bahadurzada.

“I called and asked for it”, Clements said over the phone this week. “My agent was over in Singapore and I emailed him and phoned him and when he got the information from me, he checked his messages and Joe Silva had already called asking. I was asking for it and Joe Silva was asking for it so it just worked out well.”

Many fans and experts are already calling dead meat in this one for the Ontario-born and Adrenaline Training Center fighter who was crafty and effective in a close decision win over Keith Wisniewski in his UFC debut in April. Bahadurzada himself burst on the UFC scene with a stunning 42 second knockout over Paulo Thiago earlier in the same month.

Clements is a very experienced fighter, and he sees this as a great stylistic match up for him.

“I actually think it’s a better fight for me than Wisniewski. With him, I couldn’t really let go because he’s a really experienced guy so I had to fight him kinda crazy. I had to do a lot of weird stuff and keep moving.

I couldn’t really set down on anything because all he wanted to do was hold me down and lay on me. He’s a grinder.

Siyar, he’s a stand up fighter, he’s more up my alley so, yeah he’s a higher ranked guy in the world and stuff like that and he’s got a lot of hype behind him but as far as matchup wise I don’t see him as a big step up in competition or any more difficult.

It’s a win-win right, I get to stay on the main card and so I get some nice exposure and if I lose I lose. I’m supposed to lose. If I win, you know I jump way up. At my age, I’m looking for the fastest possible way to get up there so to be on the Pay-Per-View in my second UFC fight it’s huge for me.”

Both of these fighters certainly like to stand and trade, and it will be an entertaining fight no matter how long it lasts. I asked him if he is going to hype it up to make sure it is a battle.

“He’s gonna get mad, he’s gonna get frustrated by me. I’m gonna do some things he’s not going to like.” He laughed.

“I just have a way of messing with people when I fight so I think I’ll frustrate him by doing things. I’m not much of a hype guy, I like to just do my thing in the cage.”

Clements has taken this fight on slightly short notice, and he started his camp right away after securing the fight on Monday.

“It’s gonna be tough but I just have to be really disciplined. I’m a little out of shape right now. Training for my last fight was basically the first few weeks of with my daughter so I have been catching up on the time with her and the family more than training. I wasn’t really thinking about or prepared to fight but this is a great opportunity so I just wanted to jump on it.”

Prior to signing with the UFC earlier this year, Clements rose through the Canadian ranks and made his name as a dangerous knockout fighter, mostly in the province of Quebec. He may tap in to his roots a bit leading up to this key match up with Bahadurzada.

“I’m thinking about heading to Tristar to train for about a week or so. I’ve known Firaz for many years from TKO and stuff like that but I haven’t talked to him about it yet or anything. They have a great camp there for welterweights with Sean Pierson, Ryan Ford, Rory MacDonald, George St-Pierre, Alex Garcia you know there’s so many top ten welterweight’s in the country.”

With it being the first ever UFC event in Alberta, he will have a boisterous following of fans hoping and screaming for him on July 21st in Calgary.

“I’m the only Canadian on the main card”

The doubters are out there. There are many who think this is a mis-match from the get go, but I am not one of them.

Clements is a tough, dangerous and experienced gamer, and this one will be closer than people may think.

 

Dwight Wakabayashi is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA, MMA editor at CKSN.ca and guest blogger for Sportsnet.ca.

 Catch him on Facebook and Twitter @wakafightermma.

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