Although it wasn’t exactly cram-packed with exciting finishes, UFC Macao provided us with plenty to talk about nonetheless. Let’s not act like Bruce Leroy’s Haiduken punch just didn’t happen, because it did and it was either awesome or the dumbest f*cking thing we have ever seen. We can’t tell yet.
Elsewhere on the card, some people beat some other people by decision, so join us as we decipher the judge’s scorecards and try to determine who the night’s biggest winners should face next.
Cung Le: Despite being a healthy underdog with a significant size and slight age disadvantage, Cung Le was able to deliver a spectacular knockout in arguably the most high profile fight of his career. That being said, we’re not going to fool ourselves into thinking the 40 year old is truly in the title mix just yet. At this point, Le appears to be more invested in his film career than in that of his mixed martial arts one (and rightfully so), but the man is still a draw who can both deliver exciting finishes and hang with more than most, so it only makes sense to give him another high profile, low risk fight.
The problem is, there simply aren’t that many of those kind of fights available for Cung in the UFC’s current middleweight pool. Most of the division in currently tied up and Cung has stated that he would like to take some time away to spend with his family, so we think it would be best to give Cung some time off and have him face the winner of the Hector Lombard/Rousimar Palhares battle at UFC on FX 6, or maybe Chris Leben if he is able to get by Karlos Vemola at UFC 155. Who would you prefer, Taters?
Although it wasn’t exactly cram-packed with exciting finishes, UFC Macao provided us with plenty to talk about nonetheless. Let’s not act like Bruce Leroy’s Haiduken punch just didn’t happen, because it did and it was either awesome or the dumbest f*cking thing we have ever seen. We can’t tell yet.
Elsewhere on the card, some people beat some other people by decision, so join us as we decipher the judge’s scorecards and try to determine who the night’s biggest winners should face next.
Cung Le: Despite being a healthy underdog with a significant size and slight age disadvantage, Cung Le was able to deliver a spectacular knockout in arguably the most high profile fight of his career. That being said, we’re not going to fool ourselves into thinking the 40 year old is truly in the title mix just yet. At this point, Le appears to be more invested in his film career than in that of his mixed martial arts one (and rightfully so), but the man is still a draw who can both deliver exciting finishes and hang with more than most, so it only makes sense to give him another high profile, low risk fight.
The problem is, there simply aren’t that many of those kind of fights available for Cung in the UFC’s current middleweight pool. Most of the division in currently tied up and Cung has stated that he would like to take some time away to spend with his family, so we think it would be best to give Cung some time off and have him face the winner of the Hector Lombard/Rousimar Palhares battle at UFC on FX 6, or maybe Chris Leben if he is able to get by Karlos Vemola at UFC 155. Who would you prefer, Taters?
Thiago Silva: We’re not really sure what to take away from Thiago Silva’s victory over Stanislav Nedkov, who was so gassed by the time the fight came to an end that it appeared as if a well-placed yawn could have knocked him over. Silva looked quicker than he had in quite some time in the early going, yet looked frustratingly slow and linear when it came to avoiding the Bulgarian’s lumbering takedown attempts. Sure, he’s a BJJ black belt who finally showcased his submission skills, but we know that we’ll get the best Thiago Silva — win or lose — when he’s matched up against another hard-hitting striker. Enter James Te Huna, an Australian slugger with bricks for hands and a chin that’s just as solid. Not only is it one of those “fun” fights we love so much, but it actually makes sense. Everybody wins!
Takanori Gomi: Speaking of fighters that are best left to swing for the fences against guys who will do the same, we come to “The Fireball Kid.” He’s managed to save his UFC career with two straight wins, but we’re not exactly ready to throw Gomi another contender so we can watch him get submitted again. It just hurts too much. Personally, I’d like to see Gomi face the winner of either the Melvin Guillard/Jamie Varner or the Sam Stout/John Makdessi fight. We’d be guaranteed another slugfest in either case, and if Gomi stands a chance of winning anything, it’s a slugfest. Because we’re not trying to convince ourselves that Gomi will be fighting for the title anytime soon, we’d just like to see an old friend end his career with the kind of fights that defined it.
Dong Hyun Kim: Although he’s already called out Demian Maia for a rematch of their UFC 148 contest that ended with an unfortunate rib injury, we’d like to see Kim take his grappling talents elsewhere. Specifically, against a certain Icelandic grappling phenom with a demeanor that can only be described as…stoic. We’ve all been riding the Gunnar Nelson hype train for some time know, so why not see how he fares against a seasoned veteran like Kim? The grappling exchanges between these two could become the things of legend, and when you’re dealing with a fighter as stifling, dominant, and often tiresome as Kim, that’s the best you can hope for.
And because we feel we must address this, let’s move on to the night’s biggest loser…
Rich Franklin: Well, Rich, we surely didn’t expect to see you go down like that. It’s beyond an understatement to declare that “Ace’s” best days (and chin) are behind him, but there’s no denying the brilliant and captivating career he’s had. The UFC’s go-to guy also seems smart enough to realize that he should get out of the game before he suffers any more losses as brutal as the one he suffered Saturday, because they are only more likely to happen the longer he sticks around. But if Rich really feels the need to give the fight game one last shot, I dunno, maybe match him up against Vladimir Matyushenko in a special rules match where they both sit at a table, get drunk, and compare scars?
If I were to have told you before this event that a FUEL TV caliber card will have seven out of nine fights go the distance, it is doubtful that many of you would have watched UFC on FUEL 6. If I were to have reminded you that because the fights were live from Macau, China, you’d have to wake up at 9 a.m. ET to watch said card, I’m willing to bet we would have had a pretty vacant liveblog this morning. It isn’t often that a card with so many decisions is worth waking up early for, but UFC on FUEL 6 proved to be an exception.
Expectations weren’t exactly high for the evening’s main event, a middleweight contest between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. With neither fighter in the title picture – or even near it – and forty year old Cung Le bloodletting his foot just one week before the fight, this fight had a very high bust-potential. Most of us assumed that Ace would exit the cage with his first victory at middleweight since 2008, and that we wouldn’t be missing much if we started our afternoon nap a little early.
Instead, Cung Le gave us a Knockout of the Year candidate, countering a leg kick with a devastating right hand that secured the victory just 2:17 into the fight. Being the only knockout on the card, Le took home the $40k Knockout of the Night award, but even if every other fight ended in a knockout it’d be hard not to award such a brutal finish the honor. If you happened to miss it, here it is in all of its animated GIF glory:
If I were to have told you before this event that a FUEL TV caliber card will have seven out of nine fights go the distance, it is doubtful that many of you would have watched UFC on FUEL 6. If I were to have reminded you that because the fights were live from Macau, China, you’d have to wake up at 9 a.m. ET to watch said card, I’m willing to bet we would have had a pretty vacant liveblog this morning. It isn’t often that a card with so many decisions is worth waking up early for, but UFC on FUEL 6 proved to be an exception.
Expectations weren’t exactly high for the evening’s main event, a middleweight contest between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. With neither fighter in the title picture – or even near it – and forty year old Cung Le bloodletting his foot just one week before the fight, this fight had a very high bust-potential. Most of us assumed that Ace would exit the cage with his first victory at middleweight since 2008, and that we wouldn’t be missing much if we started our afternoon nap a little early.
Instead, Cung Le gave us a Knockout of the Year candidate, countering a leg kick with a devastating right hand that secured the victory just 2:17 into the fight. Being the only knockout on the card, Le took home the $40k Knockout of the Night award, but even if every other fight ended in a knockout it’d be hard not to award such a brutal finish the honor. If you happened to miss it, here it is in all of its animated GIF glory:
As for what this fight means for the UFC middleweight division, I’m still tempted to say ”not too much.” Franklin was certainly a good middleweight champion and a great company man for the UFC, but he hasn’t been a serious title contender in years. As great of a victory as it was for Le, I’d say he’s at least two more victories away from being “in the mix” for a title shot (whatever that even means these days). May I be so bold as to suggest a fight against Brian Stann?
As for Rich Franklin, retirement seems like the most logical option. I know it’s easy to be pessimistic about a fighter’s career after watching him lose – especially the way he lost – but we’re looking at a thirty-eight year old former-champion who hasn’t won back-to-back fights in four years. There’s nothing left for Ace to do except ride his company man status into a vaguely-defined post-retirement corporate career with the UFC.
The co-main event produced a very surprising finish, as Blackzilian Thiago Silva handed Stanislav Nedkov his first career loss with a third round arm-triangle choke. Silva not only picked up his first victory in three years (drug test pending), but also his first submission victory (not counting his submission via punches over Antonio Mendes at UFC 84) since heel-hooking Dave Dalgliesh back in 2006. Being the only submission on the card, the win earned Silva the Submission of the Night bonus.
Although Silva was ahead 20-18 on all three scorecards heading into the third round, Nedkov arguably took the first round and nearly finished the Brazilian late in the second round. Despite barely making it to the third round, Thiago Silva overwhelmed Nedkov with an aggressive striking display before earning the takedown. From there, the BJJ blackbelt wasted little time locking in the fight ending choke.
Silva has never been a pushover, but he’s also never been a serious contender for the light-heavyweight championship, either. At twenty-nine years old, he still has a chance at putting together a run for the title. But if he’s going to make the most of this opportunity, he needs to get back to consistently stringing together victories, and start earning them over the deep end of the UFC’s roster.
Elsewhere on the card:
– Takanori Gomi’s split-decision over Mac Danzig took home Fight of the Night honors. Little surprise here, as this fight was a back-and-forth affair that saw both men come close to earning the stoppage. The PRIDE legend improves to 34-8 (1 NC) overall, and 3-3 in the UFC. Meanwhile, Mac Danzig drops to 21-10-1 – including a not-quite-worthy 5-6 in the UFC – but earns his fourth End of the Night bonus from the promotion.
– Dong Hyun Kim took home a unanimous decision victory over Paulo Thiago in a fight that was never exactly close. After the fight, Kim asked for a rematch against Demian Maia. Considering the fluke nature of their first meeting, I’m not surprised that he wants this fight but I doubt he gets it. Also, Thiago is now 1-4 in his last five fights and 4-5 in the UFC, so expect a Paulo Thiago-themed “And Now he’s Fired” soon.
– Speaking of “1-4 in his last five and probably about to be fired,” Tiequan Zhang actually lost to TUF alumnus Jon Tuck. Yes, the only Chinese fighter on the entire card actually lost to the softball opponent he was matched up against. And not by an indefensibly terrible decision, either: Tuck was controlling the entire fight until the third round, when he made the foolish decision to stand with the guy who desperately needed a knockout. Not to throw salt in the wound here, but Zhang’s lone victory in his last five fights came over Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127. Ouch.
– Takeya Mizugaki wasn’t exactly given a world-beater in Jeff Hougland, but he still managed to look pretty impressive while taking home a unanimous decision victory. Mizugaki ground Hougland’s face into a pulp over the course of three rounds, taking all three rounds on all three scorecards. That being said…30-25?! YOU CANNOT BE FOR SERIOUSLY, BRO!
– Attendance was 8,415, who paid $1.3 million USD. This makes UFC on FUEL 6 the second highest FUEL livegate (Only UFC on FUEL 2 was higher).
(Unfortunately, Bruce Lee’s ghost suffered a knee injury in training and will be unable to float above the fighters tonight. Hey, that’s why they say “card subject to change.” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com. For more photos from this set, click here.)
It’s Saturday night in Macau, the special administrative region that never sleeps. While us North Americans are pouring cereal and rubbing crust out of our eyes, the UFC’s first-ever show in China is already in full swing at the CotaiArena. In the main event, a couple of middleweight battle-axes named Rich Franklin and Cung Le will be slugging it out, refusing to go gently into middle age. Supporting them on the main card is an array of international matchups, including Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov, Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago, and Takanori Gomi vs. Mac Danzig.
Handling liveblog duties for us this morning is Jim Genia, who will be stacking round-by-round results from the UFC on FUEL 6 main card broadcast after the jump, beginning at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest, and let your voice be heard in the comments section. Thanks for being here, guys. We can all take naps later.
(Unfortunately, Bruce Lee’s ghost suffered a knee injury in training and will be unable to float above the fighters tonight. Hey, that’s why they say “card subject to change.” / Photo courtesy of CombatLifestyle.com. For more photos from this set, click here.)
It’s Saturday night in Macau, the special administrative region that never sleeps. While us drowsy North Americans are pouring cereal and rubbing crust out of our eyes, the UFC’s first-ever show in China is already in full swing at the CotaiArena. In the main event, a couple of middleweight battle-axes named Rich Franklin and Cung Le will be slugging it out, refusing to go gently into middle age. Supporting them on the main card is an array of international matchups, including Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov, Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago, and Takanori Gomi vs. Mac Danzig.
Handling liveblog duties for us this morning is Jim Genia, who will be stacking round-by-round results from the UFC on FUEL 6 main card broadcast after the jump, beginning at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest, and let your voice be heard in the comments section. Thanks for being here, guys. We can all take naps later.
UFC on Fuel 6 Preliminary Results:
-Riki Fukuda def. Tom DeBlass via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Good morning! Are you ready for some UFC action at a time of the day when you’d normally be watching cartoons and drinking either a cup of coffee or a Redbull or both? I know am!
First up: Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland
Back in the day when the WEC was a real thing and we all watched it, Mizugaki was the man – or at least one of them. He’s had a rough time of it since, but his opponent today is regional-level dude Hougland, so we’ll see how it goes.
Round 1: They waste no time mixing it up on the feet, trading strikes early and often – Miz with his strong kicks and Hougland with his fists. The American shoots for a takedown about a minute in, gets stuffed and put on his back, and tries to swing into a armbar from the bottom that bears no fruit. I don’t know how to say “Been there, done that” in Japanese, but that’s what is probably running through Mizugaki’s head. For the next couple minutes Miz is beating on Hougland’s face like it offends him, while Hougland tries for triangles and a head-arm choke. The horn sounds and Hougland is no prettier.
Round 2: Miz continues banging his opponent up on the feet, so Hougland lumbers into a clinch and again gets taken down. Just like in the first, the Japanese veteran is dropping bombs from within the American’s guard as Hougland keeps going for armbars and triangles that seem straight off a Gracie instructional DVD. Referee Steve Perceval stands them up, which gives Miz the chance to blast Hougland in the grill, and again they’re back on the ground in their usual position.
Round 3: The third round begins and Hougland looks like he’s just run a marathon. Miz tags him with a hook that sends him face-first to the canvas, but when Mizugaki goes in for the kill Hougland scoops him up and slams him. The WEC vet scrambles on top, they get back to their feet, and Mizugaki easily hugs Hougland to the canvas to regain top position. Some inactivity sees the ref stand them up, but Hougland’s got nothing left in the tank and can’t stop Miz from putting him on his back and mushing him. The ground and pound onslaught opens up a cut on the American’s face, turning the waning seconds of the bout into a horror show, and when time runs out there’s no mystery as to who deserves the decision. When it comes to scrubs, nobody beats the Miz.
Takeya Mizugaki def. Jeff Hougland via Unanimous Decision (30-25, 30-27, 30-27)
Next: Tiequan Zhang vs. John Tuck
When last we saw Tuck, the Guam native was trying to fight his way into the TUF House against Al Iaquinta and his toe damn near fell off. Zhang is a mid-grade UFC vet who’s still trying to break out of the shadow of his reggae star brother, Zunga Zhang.
Round 1: Forty-five seconds of circling turns into Zhang nailing an explosive takedown, but the tide turns instantly when Tuck swing for an insanely tight armbar attempt. Zhang rolls and rolls like his life depends on it, escapes and finds himself in an inverted triangle (which only works in Bellator), and escapes that to end up on Tuck’s back. The Chinese fighter gets outmanuevered and suddenly Tuck is in mount, then affixed to his back, hunting for a choke. Zhang survives and makes it back to the feet, and the bell rings.
Round 2: The round begins and the two men play Rock ‘Em-Sock ‘Em Robots until Zhang gets the takedown forty-five seconds in. Tuck counters with another armbar attempt, and when Zhang dodges it, the Guam native reverses and gets on top. Tuck turns his dominant mount position into an even more dominant back-mount, and Zhang spends the rest of the round behind the Eightball, struggling to avoid a rear naked choke. Somewhere on the mainland, troops are surrounding Zhang’s village.
Round 3: Tuck inexplicably wants to stand with Zhang, and as the ancient Chinese saying goes, “Standing and trading with a desperate man is a fools errand.” Zhang spends the next few minutes chasing him down and feeding him knuckles like they come free with the meal. Tuck lands with his jab a few times, and manages a knee strike here and there, but Zhang dings him up. Time runs out with Tuck trying to roll into a Hail Mary kneebar.
John Tuck def. Tiequan Zhang via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Next: Takanori Gomi vs. Mac Danzig
Gomi vs. Danzig pits a former PRIDE superstar who sucked hard when he came to the Octagon against a TUF winner who sucked hard when he came to the Octagon post-TUF. Are you not intrigued?
Round 1: No surprises here as Danzig starts off circling and trying to avoid Gomi’s fistic power. The TUF winner grows more confident, and about two minutes in he grabs a Thai clinch and delivers some knees. Gomi responds with a takedown, and in about thirty seconds Danzig has worked back to his feet. Gomi begins mixing in some hard leg-kicks to add flavor to his offense, and with about twenty seconds left in the round Danzig hits a takedown and drops some leather.
Round 2: They continue picking and choosing their strikes in the third, with Danzig clinching and delivering knees and Gomi knocking his head back whenever the American’s defenses lapse. With a minute and a half left, Danzig gets the takedown, and when Gomi scrambles to get up his exposed neck is like a juicy Vegan meal that Danzig pounces on. For the rest of the round Gomi is stuck defending an arm-in guillotine.
Round 3: Gomi opens up the third round with a sweet right hand that puts Danzig on his butt. The PRIDE legend settles in on top, and alternates between feeding him punches and pulling Danzig back down whenever he tries to escape. But the TUF winner still has some tricks up his sleeve, and he threatens with a heelhook and a straight kneebar. Gomi defends, and Danzig works back to his feet. Gomi flubs a takedown and eats a few punches for his folly. They take turns blasting each other, and when Danzig lands a clean one, Gomi beckons him to give him more. When time runs out they’re swinging – they’re tired, but they’re swinging.
Takanori Gomi def. Mac Danzig via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Next: Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago
It’s South Korea vs. Brazil in this match-up, with Kim bringing judo, solid positional grappling and a ribcage that could give out at any minute, and Thiago bringings submissions, KO power, and the threat that the BOPA police force will kick down your door and shoot you at any time.
Round 1: Kim goes for a single-leg takedown almost immediately, and though Thiago manages to avoid it for about thirty seconds, he eventually succumbs to gravity. Acting as if the Brazilian’s jiu-jitsu background means nothing, Kim wastes no time getting on top then taking back-control. For the rest of the round, Thiago is pretty much his bitch, struggling to avoid the rear naked choke with Kim on him like a backpack. The round ends with “the Stun Gun” almost getting the submission.
Round 2: Thiago comes out in the second round trying “shoo!” his foe away with high-kicks, but then Kim gets his hands on him and judo’s him silly. Thiago goes down, yet manages to mitigate his plight with a kimura attempt that forces Kim to think. Soon Kim’s arm is free, and for the next couple minutes the South Korean has the Brazilian pressed into a ball against the fence. Thiago escapes with a minute left, and in the final seconds of the frame Kim is again going for a tight submission – this one a D’Arce choke.
Round 3: Kim waits about a minute and a half before latching onto Thiago, and once again Thiago has got nothing on the South Korean’s judo skills. Firmly glued to his opponent’s back, Kim spends the rest of the round making Thiago miserable, both with positional control and ground and pound – and, with only a few seconds left in the fight, a bunch of Captain Kirk double-punches from mount. Decision time again, and this one is a no-brainer.
Dong Hyun Kim def. Paulo Thiago via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Next: Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov
Time for the light-heavyweights, and it’s Silva vs. Nedkov. Seriously, how the hell does Silva still have a job? The dude loses like it’s his specialty, and his most impressive recent win (against Brandon Vera) was rendered a “no contest” when he pissed hot for juice. Nedkov, send this guy packing, will you?
Round 1: The undefeated Bulgarian wrestles Silva to the fence and seems to want to push him through it like a hunk of cheddar through a cheese grater. They flurry wildly about a minute and a half in, and when Silva gets some space, he nearly buckles Nedkov’s leg with a kick – a reminder to Nedkov to keep up the cheese grater tactic. Silva manages a Thai clinch and feeds his opponent a knee, and Nedkov answers back with another flurry of fists. Once more they’re against the fence, and it becomes all too clear that Nedkov’s spirit animal is the fearless (and possibly mindless) ox.
Round 2: The Brazilian opens the round by kicking the Bulgarian in the junk. After a brief recovery period, they resume trying to impose their respective game plans, with Nedkov’s hugging efforts eliciting a ton of boos from the crowd. If anyone seems to be taking the lead on the scorecards, it’s probably Silva, who manages to nail Nedkov from the outside, but with about twenty seconds left in the round Nedkov clips Silva with an overhand right that sends the Brazilian to the ground. Silva survives to the bell.
Round 3: Silva comes out on fire, lighting Nedkov up like the Bulgarian is made of kindling, and about a minute in he shoots for the takedown, works to mount, slips on the arm-triangle choke, and gets the tap. Good win for Silva, who was dangling on the precipice only minutes before.
Thiago Silva def. Stanislav Nedkov via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 1:45, Round 3
Next: Rich Franklin vs. Cung Le
Former UFC champ Franklin and former Strikeforce champ Le will never see the vista from the top of the mountain again, but they’re still popular, and usually very capable of throwing down, so here we are with a main event featuring two guys with more name than upside. Regardless, it should be fun.
Round 1: In an exercise in the striking tenets of range and angles, Franklin and Le start off their bout flitting in and out, firing off kicks and punches, and stepping away and just out of range. And then… then comes Franklin’s kick and Le’s picture-perfect counter, which is a right hand that hits Franklin squarely on the button and puts him instantly to sleep. The former UFC champ collapses in a heap and is out, and Le is awarded the knockout victory at 2:17 of the first round while the crowd goes wild.
Cung Le def. Rich Franklin via KO (Punch) at 2:17, Round 1
Afterwards, Le thanks Franklin, the UFC, White and the Fertittas for the opportunity. He also labels his finish as a “lucky punch” – “Thank you, Lord,” he says.
(I don’t know if it’s the angle, the lighting, or the Kabuki makeup, but Gomi is looking freaky as shit these days.)
The UFC’s first trip to China has picked up its first lightweight bout, as Japanese legend Takanori Gomi and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig are reportedly slated to meet at the November 10th event in Macau. Danzig revealed the matchup on twitter earlier today. Though both fighters have struggled in the Octagon in the past, both are coming off of victories. Gomi scored a second-round TKO of Eiji Mitsuoka at UFC 144 in February, while Danzig most recently won a decision against Efrain Escudero at UFC 145 in April.
In other UFC China booking news, light-heavyweight striker Thiago Silva will have one more chance to save his career at the event, where he’ll face undefeated Bulgarian prospect Stanislav Nedkov. Due to his no-contest against Brandon Vera and subsequent one-year suspension — which was sandwiched by a pair of decision losses to Rashad Evans and Alexander Gustafsson — Silva hasn’t officially won a fight in three years. Meanwhile, Nedkov has only competed once during his two years of being under UFC contract, due to injuries (both his own and his opponent’s) and visa issues. Nedkov’s sole Octagon appearance resulted in a first-round TKO of Luis Cane at UFC 134 last August.
UFC on Fuel TV 6 will be headlined by the (hopefully) crowd-pleasing battle between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. Check out the current lineup after the jump, and hit us with your predictions in the comments section.
(I don’t know if it’s the angle, the lighting, or the Kabuki makeup, but Gomi is looking freaky as shit these days.)
The UFC’s first trip to China has picked up its first lightweight bout, as Japanese legend Takanori Gomi and TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig are reportedly slated to meet at the November 10th event in Macau. Danzig revealed the matchup on twitter earlier today. Though both fighters have struggled in the Octagon in the past, both are coming off of victories. Gomi scored a second-round TKO of Eiji Mitsuoka at UFC 144 in February, while Danzig most recently won a decision against Efrain Escudero at UFC 145 in April.
In other UFC China booking news, light-heavyweight striker Thiago Silva will have one more chance to save his career at the event, where he’ll face undefeated Bulgarian prospect Stanislav Nedkov. Due to his no-contest against Brandon Vera and subsequent one-year suspension — which was sandwiched by a pair of decision losses to Rashad Evans and Alexander Gustafsson — Silva hasn’t officially won a fight in three years. Meanwhile, Nedkov has only competed once during his two years of being under UFC contract, due to injuries (both his own and his opponent’s) and visa issues. Nedkov’s sole Octagon appearance resulted in a first-round TKO of Luis Cane at UFC 134 last August.
UFC on Fuel TV 6 will be headlined by the (hopefully) crowd-pleasing battle between Rich Franklin and Cung Le. Check out the current lineup after the jump, and hit us with your predictions in the comments section.
Cung Le vs. Rich Franklin
Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav Nedkov Dong Hyun Kim vs. Paulo Thiago
Mac Danzig vs. Takanori Gomi
Alex Caceres vs. Kyung Ho Kang
Marcelo Guimaraes vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
Tom DeBlass vs. Riki Fukuda
Takeya Mizugaki vs. Jeff Hougland John Lineker vs. Yasuhiro Urushitani
(“I’ve never been knocked out in a fight and I’ve never been knocked out in training. But I’ve never been hurt the way that [Penn] hurt me.” / Photo via Las Vegas Sun)
Florian cited a November 2011 back injury and eventual numbness and tingling in his limbs as the impetus for closing the chapter of his life that’s been defined by five UFC Fight Night appearances, four weight classes, three UFC championship fights, two vicious elbows, and — lest we forget — one samurai costume.
As an undersized middleweight, Florian first appeared on our radars as the TUF 1 runner-up to Diego Sanchez in 2005, and after two victories at welterweight, Florian transformed his body and game, and established himself as one of the best lightweights in the world. Florian then made a brief run at featherweight in 2011, defeating Diego Nunes and losing to champion Jose Aldo, before announcing his retirement at the age of 36.
In a recent conversation with CagePotato.com — and in loving tribute to Ring Magazine’s “The Best I’ve Faced” feature — Ken-Flo looked back on his MMA career and remembered the opponents who stood out across a number of categories…
Fastest on his feet: I’d say Jose Aldo. He was the quickest. His explosiveness in general, his footwork, and his ability to move definitely are impressive.
Toughest chin: I remember hitting Sam Stout with hard shots. I hit him on the ground with a big bomb that connected real well, right on his chin, and he just ate it. And from seeing the rest of his fights, I see why. He’s got a real good chin.
(“I’ve never been knocked out in a fight and I’ve never been knocked out in training. But I’ve never been hurt the way that [Penn] hurt me.” / Photo via Las Vegas Sun)
Florian cited a November 2011 back injury and eventual numbness and tingling in his limbs as the impetus for closing the chapter of his life that’s been defined by five UFC Fight Night appearances, four weight classes, three UFC championship fights, two vicious elbows, and — lest we forget — one samurai costume.
As an undersized middleweight, Florian first appeared on our radars as the TUF 1 runner-up to Diego Sanchez in 2005, and after two victories at welterweight, Florian transformed his body and game, and established himself as one of the best lightweights in the world. Florian then made a brief run at featherweight in 2011, defeating Diego Nunes and losing to champion Jose Aldo, before announcing his retirement at the age of 36.
In a recent conversation with CagePotato.com — and in loving tribute to Ring Magazine’s “The Best I’ve Faced” feature — Ken-Flo looked back on his MMA career and remembered the opponents who stood out across a number of categories…
Fastest on his feet: I’d say Jose Aldo. He was the quickest. His explosiveness in general, his footwork, and his ability to move definitely are impressive.
Toughest chin: I remember hitting Sam Stout with hard shots. I hit him on the ground with a big bomb that connected real well, right on his chin, and he just ate it. And from seeing the rest of his fights, I see why. He’s got a real good chin.
Hardest to hit: Let’s see. From the outside, it’s probably BJ Penn. Excellent head movement.
Heaviest hands:BJ Penn, by far. I’ve never been knocked out in a fight and I’ve never been knocked out in training. But I’ve never been hurt the way that he hurt me. He hit me harder than anyone I fought or sparred or trained with.
Best wrestler:Gray Maynard. When he was in on my leg, I felt like he was the strongest. And I was doing a decent amount of wrestling when we fought.
Most intelligent: I guess with overall MMA intelligence and skills, Jose Aldo is probably overall the most intelligent. He didn’t allow himself to get caught off guard, you know?
Most powerful:Gray Maynard. He’s the only guy who afterward I said, “Wow, that guy’s really strong.”
Most threatening ground game:BJ Penn. I don’t know about submission-wise — and he caught me in a submission — but offensively, technically, the way he attacks, especially from the top, that’s his bread and butter. It’s real good.
Most surprising opponent:Gray Maynard, for sure. That was one of the fights where I thought he would strike a little bit more with me. I felt like I’d be able to keep him on the outside and stop his wrestling attempts when he would try because, before that fight, he did use his wrestling later [in the fight] against guys like Nate Diaz, but it was crazy to me that he was going out there and really wasn’t using his wrestling so much. I was working a lot on my wrestling at the time and thought it would be enough, but the way he was executing it — he would get the takedown at the end of the round and get each round and control — was just a very smart game plan.
Sweetest victory: This is always hard to come up with. It was pretty cool being able to fight Takanori Gomi and win like I did, dominating a guy I looked up to for so long for his striking and for his knockout power. To go out there and strike with him for the 12 or 13 minutes of that match and outstrike him was cool. That one sticks out.
Most bitter loss: The Diego Sanchez fight, just because it was one of those fights where maybe he would have won anyway because he had a lot of experience over me, but I didn’t even get a chance to compete. I’ve talked about this before: I just choked. The only fight I’ve ever choked in was the Diego Sanchez fight. I was just not ready for that mentally, and by the time he was mounted on me, I was bleeding all over myself and was, like, “Alright, Kenny, let’s get out of here. Let’s do this.” I felt that I didn’t even get a chance to really compete or show my skills.
Best overall fighter: The person who matched up the best to me was the toughest challenge, and in my career, that was BJ Penn. Going into the fight, I felt like he would be the toughest match-up based on where my skills were at and where his skills were at. And he was the toughest.
At UFC 143, on February 4, 2012, Nick Diaz faced a unanimous decision loss to Carlos Condit for the welterweight interim title. While he did suffer perhaps the most important loss of his career, it.
At UFC 143, on February 4, 2012, Nick Diaz faced a unanimous decision loss to Carlos Condit for the welterweight interim title. While he did suffer perhaps the most important loss of his career, it wasn’t all bad; many fans deemed the outcome of the fight an unfair decision call by the judges, creating sympathy for Diaz and anger towards Condit. The controversy alludes to the fact that Condit was practically running away from Diaz the entire fight. Personally being a huge Nick Diaz fan, I was extremely angered as well. But my initial anger wasn’t due to the fact that Carlos Condit pulled out the decision; it was the realization that Diaz didn’t deserve to win. A fighter is already treading in deep water when he lets it go to the hands of the judges. Anything could happen. And while Condit had a questionable game plan in the eyes of many MMA fans by dodging in and out of the fight, Diaz didn’t do anything to counter Condit. Even if Condit was dipping in and out, there is no room to say that he didn’t have complete control of the octagon the entire fight. Although thought to be a boring display, he was in control the entire time, whether he implemented a traditional plan or not. Diaz claimed he was going to retire following the loss, but the events that follow show that Nick Diaz has a lot of fight left in him.
With my evident disgruntlement being said, the real blow to the stomach came several days after the fight. Due to the controversial decision and obvious interest in an immediate rematch between the two, UFC president Dana White and the UFC made it happen. Nick Diaz was given another chance to develop a winning game plan, and truly show off what he was capable of. I, along with many other avid mma fans, was anticipating the fight, until Diaz was submitted to a post fight drug test and the results came in with startling news: Diaz had tested positive for marijuana metabolites. The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) suspended Diaz immediately. While Diaz was still allowed to appeal the results, many were doubtful he would succeed. Dana White himself doubted a pleasant outcome for Diaz stating, “I get the whole thing they’re going for – the metabolites or whatever it is… Nick can’t smoke marijuana leading up to a fight. You just can’t do it.” After his hearing was delayed, due to failure to produce a medical marijuana card, and Diaz missing the initial hearing, Diaz’s attorney was suing the NSAC for failure of due process. They also argued that the marijuana metabolites aren’t listed specifically as a banned substance under the NSAC. With an ongoing case against the commission, viewers waited in apprehension whether or not they would see a rematch between Diaz and Condit or the much desired Diaz- St. Pierre fight.
Whether fans or critics thought he would win or lose this battle, everything came to a head on May 21, 2012. The NSAC was going to vote on the future of Nick Diaz, and whether or not he would be suspended. After a three hour hearing, the commission officially suspended Diaz. He would be suspended an entire 12 months from the date of the fight, as well as being charged a $30,000 fine. Nick Diaz will also have to produce a clean drug test before he can be licensed to fight in Nevada again. Diaz’s case had some holes in it, and he wasn’t able to produce enough counterevidence. Nick Diaz won’t be able to apply for a new license until February 4, 2013.
Not only did Diaz give up a shot at an immediate rematch for the interim belt, but he gave up going head to head with St. Pierre as soon as he recovers, assuming he could pull out a victory this time around against Condit. Future opportunities aside, he can’t even think about a match up for another year, not to mention being required to fork over 30% of his winnings from UFC 143. Things just went from bad to worse for Diaz.
As stated, this is Diaz’s second strike, not only with the same offense, but with the same commission. Diaz was suspended on nearly identical terms in 2007, after his win over Takanori Gomi, which eventually turned into a draw following his suspension. One can only hope that Diaz has learned his lesson, and won’t add another strike to his career, whether he chooses to continue with mixed martial arts or retire as previously mentioned. It would be a shame to see a legend fade so soon.
