Lateral movement—not running—did it for Condit, er, I mean Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson in winning the unanimous decision over Thiago Silva in the main event of UFC on Fuel 2 in Stockholm, Sweden last night. That and m…
Lateral movement—not running—did it for Condit, er, I mean Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson in winning the unanimous decision over Thiago Silva in the main event of UFC on Fuel 2 in Stockholm, Sweden last night.
That and more activity in the standup striking won it for Gustafsson right in his home country, making his compatriots loud and proud.
They both tried to go for the finish and not towards the 15-minute finish line, but they were too good to collapse along the track.
They proved that they were sturdier than the vast majority of their previous opponents who ended flaccid, like clocks in a Salvador Dali painting, before a round timed out.
It was only Gustafsson’s second decision win in his 14-1 record, with 12 all coming by the shorter route. This proves that Silva is made of stronger stuff than Vladimir Matyushenko and Matt Hamill, the Swede’s previous victims inside the Octagon.
Likewise, Silva is a known finisher with 13 abbreviated fights in his 14-3 and 1 no contest MMA career. Well, Gustafsson drinks more coffee than Keith Jardine or Houston Alexander.
Anyway, it’s really an insult to both fighters to assume that they’d get knocked out cold by the other, in spite of their feared KO power.
Silva was resilient enough to get only knocked down and not out by the Swede. And Gustafsson could only be shaken but not fallen by a couple of hard overhand rights by the Brazilian.
Gustafsson’s masterful use of the lateral movement in circling Silva, in landing more strikes and getting out of harm’s way, was undoubtedly instrumental in The Mauler’s win.
Only those afflicted with Alypius’ addiction to blood in the Roman gladiatorial arenas could complain on the Swede’s success last night.
Alypius, who according to his friend Saint Augustine’s Confessions, “was wounded more deeply in his soul than the man whom he desired to look at was wounded in his body.”
Nitpicking on the Swede’s height and mere 1.5-inch reach advantage? Blame God or Mother Nature anytime.
UFC has just completed it’s second edition of UFC on Fuel and its first ever fight card in Sweden. Once again, the UFC knocked it out of the park. What a night of fights!So, now that the dust has settled, the burning question in everyone’s minds: How c…
UFC has just completed it’s second edition of UFC on Fuel and its first ever fight card in Sweden. Once again, the UFC knocked it out of the park. What a night of fights!
So, now that the dust has settled, the burning question in everyone’s minds: How close does his win over Thiago Silva put Alexander Gustafsson to a title shot?
Without question, Alexander Gustafsson is an up and coming talent at 205 lbs. Gustafsson, Ryan Bader, Phil Davis and probably Thiago Silva: These are the up-and-coming talents that are the cream of the crop of the rising Jon Jones generation of Light Heavyweight fighters.
The trouble is, none of this new generation of fighters has the tools it will take to beat the current champion, Jon Jones.
Mark my words, the man that beats Mr. Bones Jones will be some young phenom who we haven’t heard of yet.
And contrary to popular speculation, Jonny “Bones” Jones has absolutely no reason to leave the 205 lbs division anytime soon. Why leave when you’re the reigning champion? More importantly, if you are not yet the most dominant champion your division has ever seen, the job just ain’t done yet. Until Jones has at least six title defenses, don’t expect Jonny to fight anywhere outside of 205 lbs.
The hard truth is that Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida are the only real threats to Jon Jones right now. Any one of them will have to get lucky to beat Jones and all three are getting closer and closer to retirement.
So having said all that, does Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson get a shot at Jon Jones’ title?
Yes he does. Right now, Gustafsson is just one big win away from a title shot and here is your short list of names that would be big enough to make it happen: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida, Rashad Evans, Dan Henderson and ironically enough, a rematch with “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis.
Shogun and Machida are available, but I think Alexander would lose to either man. Avenging his only loss against Phil Davis would be the best option in my opinion, and that’s no easy fight either. If Gustafsson faces and beats any one of these three fighters, he gets to fight for the title.
That would put him next in line after Rashad Evans and Dan Henderson.
Barring an unexpected upset, Jon Jones will still be the reigning champion if and when it is Gustafsson’s turn to fight for the belt. That will be a very short night for “The Mauler.” Jones will likely finish him by brutal ground and pound or submission in the first round.
So why schedule the fight at all?
Just because we don’t think a fighter can beat the champion does not mean you don’t make the fight happen anyways. You never know when “the challenger who can’t possibly win” turns out to be the next Frankie Edgar or the next Cain Velasquez. If a fighter has earned a shot at the title, just schedule the fight and let the chips fall where they may.
After challenging Jon Jones for the title and getting beaten in devastating fashion, Mr. Gustafsson will fall back into the ranks of elite Light Heavyweights. Expect “The Mauler” play the same role as Shogun Rua did in Pride FC: The elite non-champion high octane fighter who puts on some of the most exciting fights the UFC has ever seen. Alexander is just 25 years old, so we can expect him to be a big name in the UFC for years to come.
The UFC’s first event in Sweden has just come to a close, and what a night of fight it was!The Swedish fans were treated to a finish-heavy card, with just four of 12 fights going the distance.Fighters have learned well by now that if they put on an exc…
The UFC’s first event in Sweden has just come to a close, and what a night of fight it was!
The Swedish fans were treated to a finish-heavy card, with just four of 12 fights going the distance.
Fighters have learned well by now that if they put on an exciting fight for the fans, they could leave with more money at the end of the night—and tonight is no exception.
Let’s get down to it. Here are the bonuses for UFC on Fuel TV 2:
Submission of the night: John Macguire
Macguire takes home submission of the night, and rightfully so. He hit a beautiful far-side armbar to tap Damarques Johnson.
It was similar to the fashion in which Matt Hughes once defeated Georges St-Pierre, as Johnson over-comitted to a kimura and Macguire was able to exploit this mistake and win the fight.
Knockout of the night: Siyar Bahadurzada
Bahadurzada made a big statement in the welterweight division this evening, becoming the first man to ever finish Paulo Thiago.
Thiago was charging forward and Bahadurzada used that momentum to his advantage, landing a beautiful counter punch and putting his opponent to sleep.
Fight of the Night: Brad Pickett vs. Damacio Page
Pickett and Page will both leave Sweden with an extra $50k as a reward for the two-round war they put on for the fans.
It was a fast-paced fight, with both fighters scoring takedowns and landing some big shots.
In the end, Pickett proved to be the better fighter, rocking Page on the feet and eventually sinking in a rear-naked choke and walking away with a submission victory.
Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for BleacherReport.com. For updates on what’s happening in the world of MMA, follow him on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.
In the highly anticipated main event of UFC on Fuel 2, Alexander Gustafsson proved that he is the real deal at 205. Gustafsson out-worked Thiago Silva on his feet using his reach and awesome footwork, and he even got compared to UFC champion Jon Jones …
In the highly anticipated main event of UFC on Fuel 2, Alexander Gustafsson proved that he is the real deal at 205.
Gustafsson out-worked Thiago Silva on his feet using his reach and awesome footwork, and he even got compared to UFC champion Jon Jones by commentator Kenny Florian.
The win for Gustafsson is going to push him into the upper echelon of the light heavyweight division, and the hype behind him is going to skyrocket after he dominated a savage like Silva.
What We’ll Remember About This Fight:
This fight was the coming out party of Alexander Gustafsson.
We can now consider Gustafsson among the elite at 205, and at just 24 years old he may have the most potential of anyone in the division not named Jon Jones.
Silva didn’t look terrible, but the year long absence seemed to hurt him a bit and he was just unable to find his range against the lanky Gustafsson.
What We Learned About Alexander Gustafsson
Not only is Gustafsson for real, he’s a lightweight in a 205lb body.
His standup was phenomenal, his clinch work was great and he showed he can go a full three rounds without gassing out.
Gustafsson answered a ton of questions tonight and proved he’s legitimate.
What We Learned About Thiago Silva
The year long layoff hurt him, but his inability to adjust to Gustafsson’s range hurt him much worse.
Silva is an aggressive striker, but sometimes he looks for the knockout punch instead of throwing combinations together and that’s what he did tonight.
What’s Next For Alexander Gustafsson
Gustaffson is now extremely close to a title shot, but with Dan Henderson already waiting in the wings it looks like he’ll have to fight once more before getting a shot at Jon Jones.
A bout with Lyoto Machida would be a great test for Gustafsson, but if the UFC wants to match him up with a winner then Ryan Bader is really the only option.
What’s Next For Thiago Silva
In one of the most exciting fights I can even think of, Silva should fight Shogun Rua next.
Rua was supposed to fight Rampage Jackson, but Rampage is getting surgery on his knees and will likely be out awhile.
A fight between Silva and Shogun would be a muay thai fans dream and would be an excellent fight to throw on July’s UFC 147 card in Brazil.
Handling play-by-play for the main card is Josh Hutchinson, a man I know very little about. Will he rise to the occasion, or blow his one shot at greatness? There’s just so much on the line today, folks. Round-by-round results from the FUEL TV broadcast, live from Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena, will be piling up after the jump starting at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
(Don’t worry — in case the staredown gets too intense, Joe Silva will step in and helplessly flail his little arms at them. / Photo via MMAJunkie)
Handling play-by-play for the main card is Josh Hutchinson, a man I know very little about. Will he rise to the occasion, or blow his one shot at greatness? There’s just so much on the line today, folks. Round-by-round results from the FUEL TV broadcast, live from Stockholm’s Ericsson Globe Arena, will be piling up after the jump starting at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
Helllloooo Potato Nation, and welcome back from the UFC’s
version of spring break. In breaking the drought of live fights, we today look
to Sweden’s inaugural UFC event (Fun Fact: this is the fastest selling European
event in UFC history, selling out in a mere three hours). That being said we
can look forward to a great night early afternoon of fights. To those of
you asking “who the hell is this guy?” Great question. I’ve been lurking the
Cage Potato site for a couple of years now, but stay out of the comments
section. This is also my first live blog, so feel free to be your usual
understanding and supportive selves in the comments (Note: I can’t seem to find
the sarcasm font), but enough of the buildup. Like a dude that hasn’t gotten
his rocks off in far too long, we are here to break a drought. So without
further adieu, LETS GET IT ON!!!
Prelim Results:
Jason Young defeats Eric Wisely via unanimous decision
Francis Carmont defeats Magnus Cedenblad via 2nd round submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Cyrille Diabate defeats Tom DeBlass via Split Decision
James Head defeats Papy Abedi via 1st round submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Time for the main card. Subtitles all around for our headliners in the pre fight hype videos.
We are Roganless, but get Kenny Florian in place for the announcing duties.
We start the…day (seems strange) with a bantamweight fight between Brad “One Punch” Pickett and Damacio “Angel of Death” Page.
So the UFC is claiming Jones and Evans to be the biggest rivalry in UFC history. Thoughts?
Damacio Page vs. Brad Pickett
Round 1
Both men come out swinging, with Page ending up on his back. After a short flurry on the ground both men stand up. Both guys throwing heavy punches. Page with a take-down, and works to side control before Pickett escapes back to his feet. Pickett with a take-down now and gets side control. Both men scrambling. Pickett lands a few heavy shots from Pages guard. Pickett staying busy in the guard with short elbows. Pickett lets him up after Page hints at a triangle. Pickett with another take down after a failed flying knee, but scrambles back up. Only to be taken down again in the final ten seconds.
Round 2
Page looking to shoot. Pickett with a nice slam off the fence, but doesn’t keep him down. In the standup Pickett drops Page with a left, and looks to swarm, but Page defends well. Alot of jockeying for position on the ground. Page sweeps Pickett into guard. They take it back to the feet where Pickett hits Page with some big shots. Page is rocked and Pickett shoots. After some jockeying on the ground Pickett secures a rear naked choke to cement his first UFC win.
Damarques “Darkness” Johnson Vs. John “The One” Maguire
Round 1
Both men in a feeling out process. Maguire eventually shoots for, and gets a takedown. Darkness with with a great display of attempted submissions and transitions, leaving Maguire needing to be defensive in his guard. Maguire to half guard, before securing side control. Maguire with some hammer fists starts a scramble that ends up with Maguire having Johnsons back at the end of the round.
Round 2
Round starts with Maguire landing a good left and looking for a takedown, but Johnson reverses and ends up on top. Maguire eventually gets up after eating some heavy shots. Back on the feet Maguire looks either hurt or bullshiting. Either way Johnson ties up, but Maguire ends up with the takedown in the end. A bit of stalling on the ground illicits some boos from the Swedish crowd. As if powered by it Maguire transitions quickly and secures a very tight armbar late in the 2nd.
John Maguire defeats Damarques Johnson via 2nd round submission (Arm Bar)
Seems to be a rather submission heavy night. So far though I would have to call that the leading runner for submission of the night.
Dennis Siver Vs. Diego “The Gun” Nunes
Siver making his featherweight debut here. After his trouble making weight yesterday, it will be interesting to see if it effects him at all.
Round 1
Both men trying to find their range. Siver throwing alot of kicks, most of them to no avail. Siver grabs a single leg, but can’t complete it. Nunes trys a spinning backfist, but it doesn’t land. Both men exchanging kicks. Nunes attempts a flying left head kick for some reason. Needless to say it doesn’t land. Both men seem to be looking for the big counter shot. Another spinning back kick attempt from Nunes. After a quick clinch the round ends with both men on their feet.
Round 2
Nunes comes out with another spinning head kick. Both fighters still appear to be finding their range. They trade some leg kicks. Nunes catches a kick to the pills, but gets right back into it. Siver trys a takedown, but fails. Siver now trying some spinning back kicks. A quick clinch sees Siver land a nice right hand upon the break. Both men still throwing at the bell takes us into round 3.
Round 3
Both men come out throwing. Nunes still trying the spinning kicks. Very close standup battle between the two. Siver trying to find a home for his overhand right. Nunes still trying for a spinning kick of some sort. A cut opens under Siver’s eye, not sure what caused it though. Siver swarms with some heavy shots, and Nunes finally hits one of his attempted spinning attacks in the form of a kick to the mid-section. The final seconds of the fight sees both men standing and ready to throw.
We go to the judges, And the nod goes to Siver in a hard fought bout.
Denis Siver defeats Diego Nunes via decision
Paulo Thiago Vs. Siyar “The Great” Bahadurzada
Bahadurzada making his UFC debut against the Brazillian. Thats a whole lot of name that the newcomer has, so I’m just going to call him The Great.
Round 1
Both men seem hesitant. Finally Thiago rushes in with punches, but The Great dicknails him coming in with a quick right jab, and Thiago is out cold roughly 40 seconds into the fight. Ladies and gentlemen, We have our knockout of the night candidate.
Siyar “The Great” Bahadurzada defeats Paulo Thiago via 1st round KO
The Great claims to have had a broken hand going into the fight, which if is true…god damn, he’s one to watch.
“The All American” Brian Stann vs. Alessio ”Legionarius” Sakara
Stann looking to rebound from his recent loss to middleweight number 1 contender Chael Sonnen, whereas Sakara is also looking to get back to his winning ways after Chris Weidman snapped his 3 fight win streak.
Round 1
Stann with alot of bobbing and weaving, but Sakara does catch him with a good one. Both men start throwing, but after a couple knees from Stann, Sakara finds himself on his back. In Sakara’s guard, Stann connects with two lefts that puts Sakara out. Refusing to add insult to injury Stann looks to the ref to stop it, which thankfully he does.
Brian Stann defeats Alessio Sakara via 1st round KO
Since the last two fights resulted in KO’s Fuel viewers are now treated to a James Head vs. Papi Abedi replay, and what I’m sure to be a shit load more Rashad vs. Bones promos. The Head/Abedi fight was a good one, but we have already exposed that outcome, so on to the main event.
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Thiago Silva
Big night day here for both men, as Gustafsson trys his hand at a step up in competition, and Silva looks to rebound from a hot piss test and over a year off from fighting. Any final predictions Potato Nation? As is par for the course we get a traditional Buffer 180 in the announcements, and it’s time to fight.
Round 1
Both men come out swinging before deciding to step back and find thier range. The Swede lands a left that drops Silva, but they quickly go back to the feet. More big shots from Gustaffson and Silva is cut. Sweden really getting behind their hometown boy here, but he is getting the better of the standup. Gustaffson looking sharp in the standup, as he throws both punches and kicks aplenty. Silva doing some damage with leg kicks. Silva still smiling and taunting Gustaffson. Both men happy to end the round standing and trading.
Round 2
The round starts with Gustaffson getting a trip, but Silva gets right back up. Announcers making alot of Gustafsson to Jon Jones comparisons, for some reason. Gustaffson still getting the better of the standup with his long reach. Silva lands a nice right hook that puts Gustafsson on his heels, but not for long. Both men connecting sporadically. Gustafsson hits a spinning back kick to the midsection, rather impressive. A couple more shots by each men takes us to the 3rd.
Round 3
Gustaffson looking very loose on his feet. Gustafsson landing well with the uppercut, Silva not doing so bad with the over-hand right. Gustafsson looking to throw knees now. Silva still keeping it interesting though. Silva attacking with leg kicks. Silva starting to look rather winded at this point, but pressing on. Gustafsson still landing shots almost at will. Silva stalking in the final seconds, but can’t land much of anything, and thats the fight. Hmm. so no 5 round main event, again, but if we are all good Dana Claus might give it to us by December. In no ones surprise Gustafsson takes the nod.
Alexander Gustafsson defeats Thiago Silva via unanimous decision
Well Potato Nation, I’d say it was another great night day of action.Its been fun, that being said I’m far too sober after having watched live fights, and that needs to be remedied, So until next time, stay classy Potato Nation.
After what has been a long six weeks, a UFC event is finally on the horizon, Potato Nation. And thank Allah, because we were starting to get desperate. Like a Jencum addict without a balloon desperate. In either case, tomorrow night’s UFC on FUEL event provides the perfect opportunity for us to regret ever becoming gambling addicts in the first place, so let’s skip the bullshit and get right to it. Check out the betting lines, courtesy of BestFightOdds, and join us after the jump for our advice on where to place your hard-earned cash. .
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
James Head (+200) vs. Papy Abedi (-240)
Tom DeBlass (-200) vs. Cyrille Diabate (+170)
Magnus Cedenblad (+225) vs. Francis Carmont (-265)
Yoislandy Izquierdo (+190) vs. Reza Madadi (-230)
Besam Yousef (+250) vs. Simeon Thoresen (-300)
Jason Young (-185) vs. Eric Wisely (+160)
Here we go…
After what has been a long six weeks, a UFC event is finally on the horizon, Potato Nation. And thank Allah, because we were starting to get desperate. Like a Jencum addict without a balloon desperate. In either case, tomorrow night’s UFC on FUEL event provides the perfect opportunity for us to regret ever becoming gambling addicts in the first place, so let’s skip the bullshit and get right to it. Check out the betting lines, courtesy of BestFightOdds, and join us after the jump for our advice on where to place your hard-earned cash.
Preliminary Card (Facebook)
James Head (+200) vs. Papy Abedi (-240)
Tom DeBlass (-200) vs. Cyrille Diabate (+170)
Magnus Cedenblad (+225) vs. Francis Carmont (-265)
Yoislandy Izquierdo (+190) vs. Reza Madadi (-230)
Besam Yousef (+250) vs. Simeon Thoresen (-300)
Jason Young (-185) vs. Eric Wisely (+160)
Here we go…
The Main Event: Given all the praise Gustafsson has been receiving as of late, combined with the fact that Thiago has been out of action for over a year now, the spread is a bit closer than we would have imagined. It might be due to Gustafsson’s recent list of victims, which includes the now retired Matt Hamill and the 41-year old Vladimir Matyushenko, or it could be attributed to the fact that we’ve yet to see Gustafsson’s chin really tested. Given Silva’s well documented power, he’s not a terrible choice if you’re looking to go balls out, but we’re going to stick with “The Mauler” here. He’s undoubtedly quicker than Silva and a smarter fighter to boot. He should have this, more than likely by way of second round GnP TKO.
The Good Dogs: At first glance, Siver looks pretty good as a slight dog. He’s coming off a tough loss to Donald Cerrone, however, prior to that he put together an impressive four fight win streak over good to mid-range competition. But when you take into account that he’s making his featherweight debut, and took two tries to make weight, he could be in for a long night against Nunes, who will likely hold the speed advantage over the German. It’s a tough call, but should be a great fight no matter which way it goes. Just for the heck of it, we’ll place a small bet on Siver, because the man has looked Goddamn brilliant in most of his victories.
And speaking of great fights, look no further than the Paulo Thiago/Siyar Bahadurzada scrap, which has FOTN written all over it. Thiago has been struggling as of late, recently rebounding from a two fight losing streak by decisioning David Mitchell back at UFC 134, but is one tough SOB in victory and defeat. Bahadurzada, on the other hand, has been on a killing spree over the past three years, scoring five wins by way of (T)KO in his current six fight win streak. The fact that he’s making his UFC debut does not tilt the scales in his favor, nor does the fact that Thiago has never been finished before, but like we said, it all comes down to how much you’re willing to lose. If that number is relatively high, a side bet on Bahadurzada is more than justifiable. Just keep him out of your parlay.
Looking over the rest of the card, one name that pops out is Damarques Johnson, who is coming off an impressive KO victory over a less than impressive opponent in Clay Harvison. We’ve only seen Maguire fight once in the UFC, on the other hand, and though he demonstrated a great grappling base when he decisioned Justin Edwards at UFC 138, he has yet to face anyone with as much experience as Johnson. If “Darkness” can keep it standing, look for him to end this one early. The fact that Cyrille Diabate is listed as a significant underdog to an injury replacement opponent on less than a week’s notice in Tom DeBlass should tell you the direction that one’s going to go. Steer clear.
The Sure Thing: Brad Pickett. Damacio Page hasn’t fought since his rematch with Brian Bowles at UFC Live 3 in which he was choked out at the exact same time he was choked out in their first meeting. He’s got some decent power, but is simply too one dimensional to handle a seasoned veteran like Pickett, whose only losses in the past five years have come to top contenders in Scott Jorgensen and Renan Pegado.
Lateral movement—not running—did it for Condit, er, I mean Alexander “The Mauler” Gustafsson in winning the unanimous decision over Thiago Silva in the main event of UFC on Fuel 2 in Stockholm, Sweden last night.
