Filed under: UFC, NewsThiago Tavares and Edson Barboza will compete in their home country of Brazil when they face Sam Stout and Terry Etim, respectively, at UFC 142 on Jan. 14 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
The UFC revealed the lightweight matchups on Tuesday via Twitter.
In 2011, Tavares (16-4-1) was brutally knocked out by Shane Roller in March and bounced back with a TKO over Spencer Fisher at UFC 134 in August. Canadian striker Stout (17-6-1) is on a two-fight win streak and was supposed to face Dennis Siver last month at UFC 137 but bowed out due to injury.
Much talked about for his devastating leg kicks, Barboza (9-0) has won all three of his UFC fights with his last two named Fight of the Nights. In August, he beat Ross Pearson in a split decision. Etim out of England is coming off a spectacular win this past Saturday at UFC 138 where he submitted Eddie Faaloloto with a guillotine choke in 17 seconds. UFC 142 will be Etim’s tenth UFC fight and his ninth outside of the U.S.
Filed under: UFCI don’t know if it was the tape-delay or the lack of big names on the card, but UFC 138 hardly felt like a genuine numbered event by the time it hit Spike TV on Saturday night.
It was more like a really good Fight Night event, complet…
I don’t know if it was the tape-delay or the lack of big names on the card, but UFC 138 hardly felt like a genuine numbered event by the time it hit Spike TV on Saturday night.
It was more like a really good Fight Night event, complete with the same few video game and credit report ads over and over and over again. At least now if I wake up in the middle of the night and realize I have sleepwalked to Wal-Mart to buy Assassin’s Creed, I’ll know who to blame.
But now that the paychecks and the concussions have been handed out and another one is in the books, let’s sort through the wreckage to find the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.
Biggest Winner: Mark Munoz
It was the cut over Leben’s eye that stopped the fight, but it was Munoz’s pace and power that put it there. Every punch Munoz threw was a home run swing, and it’s hard not to wonder if his relentless pressure didn’t help to convince Leben that maybe it wasn’t a great idea to try and fight on through the mask of blood. If I had plasma obstructing my vision in one eye, I’m not sure I’d want to march back out into that hurricane again either. It’s a great victory for Munoz, but does he really think he’s ready for a title shot? He’s won four straight against an increasingly impressive list of victims, but it would be hard to put him ahead of guys like Chael Sonnen or the winner of the Michael Bisping-“Mayhem” Miller bout. At 33, I realize he doesn’t have years to wait around for his chance, but he needs at least one more high-profile win before he deserves a crack at the gold. If he continues to improve at his current pace, he might really be able to do something with the opportunity by then.
Biggest Loser: Chris Leben
Something about ending on a cut between rounds just doesn’t seem to fit with the Leben mystique. No matter how legitimate or necessary it was, that’s not how “The Crippler” is supposed to go out. He’s supposed to keep plodding forward, keep deflecting blows with his skull, keep tossing back haymakers of his own until someone is down and out. For him to get stopped by a cut and look almost grateful for it to be over, it just feels wrong. There were rumors of a disastrous weight cut for Leben, so maybe he was genuinely glad to get out of there. Whatever the cause, he’s now lost two of his last three, with the lone win coming against the guy who Dana White says should quit. When we talked last week and Leben expressed his belief that this was essentially a number one contender bout, I asked him how he’d feel if he never got a title shot in the UFC. What if he retired as the brawler who people loved to watch, but who never even got a close-up look at a belt? “You know what?” Leben said. “Actually I am fine with that. At this point in my career I want to fight epic fights and have great battles.” Saturday night in Birmingham was probably a battle he’d rather forget.
Just What the Little Guys Needed: Renan Barao and Brad Pickett
We hear plenty of griping about the lack of finishes in the lighter weight classes, but Barao and Pickett both showed up intent on damaging someone’s frontal lobe. When guys get into exchanging power shots like that, you know it will only be a matter of time until someone’s consciousness flickers. The beautiful knee from Barao turned out to be the difference-maker, and he did a great job of capitalizing on Pickett’s woozy state in order to sink in the choke. Before the bout, Pickett said he couldn’t tell just how good Barao was, since he hadn’t faced tough competition yet. That was a fair assessment at the time, but now we know: this kid is good. Pickett knows it too, just like he knows that maybe he should have been a little more worried about Barao’s stand-up game after all.
Most Overly Ambitious Debut: Papy Abedi
The story coming out of Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg during the broadcast was that Abedi had turned down lesser names in order to make his UFC debut against veteran welterweight Thiago Alves. If that’s true, it should serve as one more reminder that hubris comes with a price in this business. Abedi was game enough, and he certainly wasn’t afraid of Alves. At least, not until a couple well-placed hooks had him doing the stanky leg. If you’re going to fight in the UFC, I suppose you’d better think of yourself as someone who’s capable of hanging with the best and the toughest, but does that mean you have to do it right away? Your first time in the Octagon might be difficult enough without a guy like Alves standing across from you. Sooner or later, you’ll have to fight guys like him, but why not wait and do it when you’re getting paid like a veteran rather than a rookie? Abedi showed everyone that he’s got guts. Next time, maybe he should work on showing them that he’s got brains, too.
Most Ado About Nothing: Thiago Alves‘ weight
With his history, it’s understandable for people to freak out when he shows up on the scales a pound heavy. This is the same guy who got within a half-pound of making weight for his rematch with Jon Fitch, but ultimately decided to pay Fitch 20 percent of his purse rather than jump back in the sauna. But Mike Dolce, Alves’ nutritionist, swears they didn’t have any trouble stripping off that last pound while still keeping Alves in prime condition this time. As good as he looked against Abedi, I believe it. He was calm, patient, and violently efficient. Most importantly, he didn’t look like he’d left his best stuff on the scale this time. Alves once told me (while we were sitting down to a great big lunch, appetizers and all) that the thing he hated most about fighting was the diet. He talked about a post-MMA life where he could eat whatever, whenever in the same wistful tones that insurance agents talk about retiring to play golf all day. It’s no wonder that weight has been a struggle for him, but with Dolce he finally seems to have that part of his life under control. Next area of emphasis for “The Pitbull”? Takedown defense.
Most Resilient: Anthony Perosh
What’s a 39-year-old Australian with a 12-6 career record doing riding a two-fight win streak in the UFC’s light heavyweight division? Beats me, but Perosh just won’t go away quietly. He still seems uncomfortable on his feet, and it’s incredibly hard to imagine that he and Jon Jones are even in the same weight class, much less fighting for the same organization. Still, Perosh has legitimately dangerous ground game, even if he lacks the wrestling skills to reliably get the fight there. Diabate all but took himself down early in the second, and that was all the opening Perosh needed. He’s every bit as patient and methodical on the mat as he is awkward and tentative on the feet. That was good enough for a win over Diabate, but how far can this middle-aged “Hippo” go with this relatively limited skill set? I have no idea, though he seems intent on finding out.
Quickest Comeback: Terry Etim
After more than a year and a half out of the cage, Etim’s return was over in just 17 seconds. Not only is that not enough time to knock off the ring rust, it’s not even enough time to work up a sweat. It was obvious right away that Etim and Eddie Faaloloto were simply not operating on the same level, so maybe it’s good that it ended so quickly. Any longer and things might have gotten very ugly for Faaloloto, who simply can’t be long for the UFC after that performance. It’s good to have Etim back, but can we please get a translator in there for his post-fight remarks? I listened closely and tried my best to pick out a few familiar words, but it was like trying to read something in a dream. Whatever language he was speaking, it was just familiar enough to be frustrating.
Most Perfunctory Win: Michihiro Omigawa
His decision victory over Jason Young wasn’t the prettiest or the most exciting fight you’ll ever see, but Omigawa needed that one in a bad way. He snapped his two-fight losing streak in the UFC and learned that not all judges are as blind as the ones who handed him a loss against Darren Elkins, so perhaps it was more of a psychological boost than anything else. Now that Omigawa finally has a UFC win under his belt, he needs to prove that he can do more than just barely edge one out. It’s great that he’s halted his slide, but it means the opponents will only get tougher.
UFC 138 was in Birmingham, England, last night, and if you didn’t watch, then you missed out. The card featured a main event between Mark Munoz and Chris Leben that many expected to be a good fight, but it wasn’t a good enough fight to head…
UFC 138 was in Birmingham, England, last night, and if you didn’t watch, then you missed out. The card featured a main event between Mark Munoz and Chris Leben that many expected to be a good fight, but it wasn’t a good enough fight to headline a pay-per-view.
Usually when a card is on Spike TV, it is looked at as a free card because nobody worth watching is on it. England fans are usually treated to Michael Bisping in the main event, but I think everyone was relieved after Munoz and Leben put on a spectacular show.
Don’t sleep on the UFC and how great a fight card can end up. Here is five reasons why you missed out if you didn’t watch this card.
Leading up to the fight, many pundits out there believed that Munoz’s wrestling and clinch game would be a deciding factor, but for most of the first round, Early 90’s Scott Weiland was able to keep Munoz at bay, even managing to secure a couple takedowns of his own. But as the second round got under way, it was clear that Leben was much worse for the wear, throwing increasingly slower and sloppier combinations and allowing “The Filipino Wrecking” Machine to unleash some of the vicious ground-and-pound that has become his M.O. And then, in perhaps the most shocking turn of events in Leben’s career, he quit. Think about that for a second. A man who has earned his reputation from absorbing near Noguerian levels of punishment (I said near) decided that he had had enough. A mad world indeed.
(2 rounds…10 minutes…600 seconds…that is when this fight will end.)
Leading up to the fight, many pundits out there believed that Munoz’s wrestling and clinch game would be a deciding factor, but for most of the first round, Early 90′s Scott Weiland was able to keep Munoz at bay, even managing to secure a couple takedowns of his own. But as the second round got under way, it was clear that Leben was much worse for the wear, throwing increasingly slower and sloppier combinations and allowing “The Filipino Wrecking” Machine to unleash some of the vicious ground-and-pound that has become his M.O. And then, in perhaps the most shocking turn of events in Leben’s career, he quit. Think about that for a second. A man who has earned his reputation from absorbing near Noguerian levels of punishment (I said near) decided that he had had enough. A mad world indeed.
Now, I’m not going to argue over how bad the cut was, or whether or not the doctors would have allowed Leben to continue for that much longer, but I must say that I never thought I would see the day that the granite-skulled TUF 1 alum would go out on anything but his shield. I’m also not going to over analyze the fact that Munoz called out Anderson Silva in his post-fight interview, because I’m pretty sure even Munoz didn’t think that one out. Take a number, bro.
And if, like myself, you were unconvinced that Renan “Barao” was for real, well then kids, sit and listen, sit and listen. Backing up the hype of his 26-1 record, Barao looked like a man possessed in his bantamweight contest with Brad Pickett, unleashing beautiful combinations at every turn before dropping the Brit with a knee and leaping like a goddamn spider monkey into a rear-naked choke to spoil Pickett’s UFC debut in just over 4 minutes of the first round. A disappointing start to Pickett’s UFC career, but I imagine the $70,000 Fight of the Night check he received helped mend some of his wounds.
In other action, Thiago Alves battered UFC newcomer Papy Abedi with strikes before dropping the Swede and securing a first round rear-naked choke victory. I find it kind of funny (I find it kind of sad) that this is the first time we’ve seen Alves utilize the skills that earned him a brown belt in BJJ, but I guess there’s a time and a place for everything. Let’s hope Abedi, on the other hand, gets another chance to showcase his skills inside the octagon, because the man has potential if nothing else.
After more than a year on the shelf since his armbar loss to Rafael Dos Anjos back at UFC 112, Terry Etim showed up bright and early for the daily races, putting away Edward Faaloloto with a guillotine choke in just 17 seconds. Etim walked away with not only the victory, but a $70,000 Submission of the Night award as well. Considering the time it took him to earn it, Etim may have made more money per second than James Toney did when he was schooled by Randy Couture at UFC 118. I’m not going to do the math, because my religion prohibits it on weekends. All hail Zorp.
But even Etim’s victory was not the most impressive of the night. UFC 138 was just as much Che Mills’ coming out party (not that kind) as it was for anyone else. The Gloucester, England native needed just 40 seconds to uncork a Muay Thai ass whooping on Chris Cope that he won’t soon forget. Scratch that, I’m pretty sure Cope won’t remember a damn thing until he sees the fight replay in a couple days. Mills’ brutal series of knees earned him Knockout of the Night honors and household recognition for at least a couple weeks. Not bad for a night’s work. Full results from the event are below.
Mark Munoz def. Chris Leben via TKO (doctor stoppage) at 5:00 of round two
Renan Barao def. Brad Pickett via submission (rear naked choke) at 4:09 of round one
Thiago Alves def. Papy Abedi via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:32 of round one
Anthony Perosh def. Cyrille Diabate via submission (rear naked choke) at 3:09 of round two
Terry Etim def. Edward Faaloloto via submission (guillotine choke) at 0:17 of round one
John Maguire def. Justin Edwards via unanimous decision
Philip De Fries def. Rob Broughton via unanimous decision Michihiro Omigawa def. Jason Young via unanimous decision
Che Mills def. Chris Cope via TKO (strikes) at 0:40 of round one
Chris Cariaso def. Vaughan Lee via split decision
Tonight’s UFC 138 event took place before a ruckus crowd at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England.Kicking off the event was a lightweight match featuring the return of former contender Terry Etim as he took on Edward Faaloloto after the Br…
Tonight’s UFC 138 event took place before a ruckus crowd at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England.
Kicking off the event was a lightweight match featuring the return of former contender Terry Etim as he took on Edward Faaloloto after the Brit was on the receiving end of a 19-month stint sidelined due to injury.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
Etim wasted little time in finishing off Faaloloto. In just a matter of seconds, the Brit capitalized on a mistake made by the inexperienced five-fight veteran when he submitted him in just 17 seconds. It’s one of the fastest submission victories inside the Octagon and was also far and above the quickest finish of the evening.
After a not-so aesthetically pleasing preliminary card, safe for the surging Che Mills, Etim helped regain the momentum of the event.
What we learned about Terry Etim:
We’ve always known Etim was as talented as they come. He’s diverse and as well-rounded as they come. Though he held a decided advantage on the feet, Etim never hesitated in cinching in the guillotine choke. It’s a hit-or-miss move for most fighters, as they shy away from the hold in order to maintain position, though Etim threw caution to the wind and it paid off well.
The Brit deftly shook off any ring rust, and he did so before a large crowd before his fellow countryman.
What we learned about Edward Faaloloto:
Too much too soon. Faaloloto made his Octagon debut on heels of a two-fight win streak in only two tries as a professional. A 2-0 record doesn’t exactly scream “UFC worthy,” and now, we see why. Faaloloto was thrown into the shark tank, and it proved to be too much too soon for the inexperienced Hawaiian.
What’s next for Terry Etim:
Once a top contender in the division, Etim took the first step he needed for his comeback trail to the upper echelon of the 155-pound class. He couldn’t show much in his return, but the little bit he did would indicate that the well-versed Team Kaoban product is confident, and that’s dangerous for anyone.
What’s next for Edward Faaloloto:
This is the last we’ve seen the Hawaiian in the Octagon, at least for a long while. Now, Faaloloto leaves the organization on the heels of a three-fight skid, having suffering consecutive defeats against the likes of former WEC contender Anthony Njokuani, TUF finalist Michael Johnson and now Etim—all tough customers for anyone, let alone a 2-0 fighter entering the UFC. Too much too soon.
Filed under: UFC, NewsRenan Barao, Brad Pickett, Che Mills and Terry Etim are all $70,000 richer after picking up bonuses for their performances at UFC 138.
Barao and Pickett won the Fight of the Night bonus for their fast-paced bantamweight brawl in …
Barao and Pickett won the Fight of the Night bonus for their fast-paced bantamweight brawl in the co-main event. Pickett is an Englishman who had the Birmingham fans on his side, and he came out swinging to get the crowd roaring. But it was Barao who showed he had too much for Pickett to handle, ultimately forcing Pickett to tap out to a rear-naked choke after just over four minutes of intense action.
This was Barao’s first bonus in his fourth fight under the Zuffa banner. Pickett had previously won a Fight of the Night and a Submission of the Night award, with both of those coming in the WEC. For both men, the bonus makes this the most lucrative fight of their career.
UFC newcomer Che Mills finished off Chris Cope in just 40 seconds, and as a result he won the Knockout of the Night award. For Mills, the $70,000 bonus undoubtedly makes this by far the biggest payday of his MMA career.
And Terry Etim, who needed just 17 seconds to force Eddie Faaloloto to tap to a guillotine choke, walked away with the Submission of the Night award. Etim has now won the Submission of the Night bonus a whopping four times.
Thiago Tavares and Edson Barboza will compete in their home country of Brazil when they face Sam Stout and Terry Etim, respectively, at UFC 142 on Jan. 14 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro.
I don’t know if it was the tape-delay or the lack of big names on the card, but 
Tonight’s 
Renan Barao