Dana White and Tito Ortiz have words, yet again: here. Jose Aldo gettin’ a movie made on him: here. UFC 132: Cruz vs. Faber 2 weigh-ins results: here. Joe Rogan is back on NBC with.
Dana White and Tito Ortiz have words, yet again: here.
(That week off made Dana look 10 years younger. PicProps: MMAMania)
Just a friendly reminder that you can check out the UFC 132 weigh-ins right here starting at 7:00 pm ET.
This could be the last time we see “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” flexing in his underwear — unless of course you’re one of his Twitter followers (am I right, ReX?). Let’s place our wagers now who will get into a heated nose-bumping match and who won’t make weight.
Expect the staredown of the decade between Leben and Silva.
Check out the stream after the jump.
(That week off made Dana look 10 years younger. PicProps: MMAMania)
Just a friendly reminder that you can check out the UFC 132 weigh-ins right here starting at 7:00 pm ET.
This could be the last time we see “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” flexing in his underwear — unless of course you’re one of his Twitter followers (am I right, ReX?). Let’s place our wagers now who will get into a heated nose-bumping match and who won’t make weight.
Expect the staredown of the decade between Leben and Silva.
LAS VEGAS — As I relaxed in the sportsbook at the MGM Grand earlier this afternoon, patiently awaiting my complimentary domestic beer and listening to the sounds of tourists gawking at caged lions nearby, I found myself mesmerized by the one prop bet …
LAS VEGAS — As I relaxed in the sportsbook at the MGM Grand earlier this afternoon, patiently awaiting my complimentary domestic beer and listening to the sounds of tourists gawking at caged lions nearby, I found myself mesmerized by the one prop bet the MGM was offering on UFC 132.
If you think the Cruz-Faber main event won’t go the distance, it turns out that you can profit to the tune of $180 for every $100 wagered (that’s what +180 means, smart guy). If you think it will go the distance, you have to put down $220 to make $100 (also known as -220). I’m not ashamed to admit that I must have spent fifteen minutes looking at those odds and trying to talk myself into believing that this fight won’t go the full five, even though I know it probably will.
See, that’s how Vegas gets you. You know there’s a reason for the long odds on some options, but you want to believe. You want to believe in longshots and Tito Ortiz comebacks. In free Cirque du Soleil tickets and especially lucky slot machines. And yet, they didn’t build these monstrous casinos because so many people win. In the end, that free domestic is probably the best deal you’re going to find.
But enough deep thinking. Let’s take a look at how some of Vegas’ sharpest minds see the action going down at UFC 132.
Here’s a fight that’s all about speed. Cruz has it in spades, and Faber seems to be losing just a little more of it with each passing year. That’s not to say he’s some slow, broke-down old man, of course. Faber is still one heck of an athlete and an incredibly versatile fighter. But his biggest asset against a hummingbird like Cruz is going to be his mind. Not only is he a veteran who can adapt as the fight goes on, he’s also just so mentally strong that you know you’re not going to break him. Cruz has to stay busy and pepper him with those unpredictable combos of his, whereas Faber needs to get in close and slow this fight down in the clinch and on the mat. The fact that oddsmakers favor Cruz — but just slightly — tells you what they think of cage savvy against indefatigable quickness. My pick: Cruz. I’ll save it for the parlay, but I think he’ll put Faber on the defensive with his speed and keep him there for five rounds.
The first time I saw this line, I felt sure there had to be some mistake. Did some vandal come along and swap the plus and the minus? Were the bookmakers aware that it is in fact Silva who has been out for the last year and a half, and not Leben? I just don’t get it. I suppose if they square up and throw bombs, you could argue that it’s anybody’s fight. But even then, Silva doesn’t have the chin he once did. And even though Leben got KO’d by Stann, it still took some doing. The way to beat Leben is with straight, crisp punching and enough foot speed to stay away from his left. Silva isn’t known for any of that, especially in recent years. I can see why fans still go for him as a nostalgia pick, but the Pride days are over and time has marched grimly on. My pick: Leben. I’m not the type of guy to advise you to bet the house, take out a second mortgage, and then bet that too — but if I were that type of guy…
This is probably the most competitive and most overlooked fight on the card. Kim is a big welterweight who can absolutely smother you on the mat, but Condit just has that raw, tear-your-head-off aggression. The problem is, you come charging in with blind hooks against Kim and you’re going to get taken down. I expect Kim to control the first part of the bout with his patient, methodical grappling, but Condit is never all the way out of the fight until the final bell. His best chance to catch Kim is when the takedown attempts have slowed and he’s entered full-scale desperation mode. Then, his finishing power could make all the difference. If it goes to the judges though, it’s Kim’s night. My pick: Condit, but this one’s too close. It’s a great way to toss your money out the window, and it has the potential to screw up an otherwise perfect parlay. I’m leaving it alone.
Okay, so you’ve been a huge Tito fan since 1999, and you’d like nothing more than to cash in on your Huntington Beach hero now that everyone else is writing him off. I get that — really, I do. But let me ask you this: how, exactly, do you see Ortiz winning this fight? He’s not going to stand there and outstrike the heavy-handed Bader because, well, when’s the last time he did that to anyone decent? And he’s probably not going to take the guy down and keep him on his back for three rounds because a) Bader knows a thing or two about wrestling, and b) Ortiz is not Jon Jones. So then what? It’s not as if an Ortiz victory is out of the question, but he has so few realistic ways to win. Sorry, but it isn’t 1999 anymore, and Bader isn’t Jerry Bohlander. My pick: Bader. You won’t make any money off him, but at least you won’t lose it by taking a big risk on Ortiz.
Style-wise, you’d think Wiman might have the edge on Siver. But there’s just something about that stocky, scrappy German that makes it impossible to really count him out. Few people gave him much of a chance against Sotiropoulos, but look how that turned out. His takedown defense is solid and he can always hurt you on the feet. If you’re unfortunate enough to be on the business end of one of those spinning backkicks, you probably won’t breathe right for a week. My pick: Siver. I’ll put it in the parlay, but I can’t go against Siver in any reasonable match-up.
Quick picks:
Anthony Njokuani (-150) over Andre Winner (+120). The man with the last name that everyone pronounces differently is too fast and too dynamic on the feet for Winner to handle. Melvin Guillard (-280) over Shane Roller (+220). You won’t profit much off this one, but Guillard — at least when he has his act together, as I believe he does now — is a handful for anyone.
The ‘For Entertainment Purposes Only’ Parlay: Cruz + Leben + Bader + Njokuani + Guillard.
Ryan “Darth” Bader made a tidal-wave size impact on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Winning the light heavyweight crown by defeating Vinny Magalhaes on TUF, the sky was the limit for Bader.Riding a tremendous wave of momentum, “Darth” r…
Ryan “Darth” Bader made a tidal-wave size impact on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Winning the light heavyweight crown by defeating Vinny Magalhaes on TUF, the sky was the limit for Bader.
Riding a tremendous wave of momentum, “Darth” rattled off four straight victories inside the famed Octagon including impressive wins over UFC veterans Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and Keith Jardine.
Ultimately, suffering his first defeat as a professional at UFC 126 by the current light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, Bader was quickly brought down to Earth and forced to re-establish himself within the UFC light heavyweight division.
The first step in climbing back up the title contention ladder will take place this Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada as Bader takes on “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Tito Ortiz.
Ortiz, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, has not had his hand raised in victory since defeating a fledgling Ken Shamrock back in 2006.
Overcoming personal issues and various injuries, Ortiz will be entering the Octagon for the first time since being defeated by Matt Hamill at UFC 121 in October of 2010.
A former three-time Pac-10 amateur wrestling champion, Bader was teammates with current UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, as well as CB Dollaway and Aaron Simpson.
Ryan Bader’s grappling pedigree is second to none. He is a tremendous wrestler with excellent take-down defense and is successful on 42 percent of his take-down attempts.
Possessing tremendous power and strength, this 6’2″ 205-pound mixed martial artist has excellent physical tools necessary to dominate within the grappling department.
Additionally, Bader’s stand-up skills are ever-improving. Landing 36 percent of his total strikes thrown, “Darth” is evolving into an all-around striker from his feet.
Defensively, he is much more solid, avoiding 76 percent of the total strikes attempted on him.
Tito Ortiz is not a flashy fighter. He will stand and trade in the pocket and look for take-down attempts throughout the entire fight. Ortiz is a skilled counter-striker and will capitalize on any openings provided by Bader.
For Bader to defeat Ortiz, he must manhandle “The Hungtington Beach Bad Boy” by clinching with Ortiz and delivering solid short punches from the inside.
Wearing down Ortiz will minimize his movement providing Bader the opportunity to land that destructive right hand.
Additionally, Bader needs to remain active in the stand-up game by varying his combinations and adjusting his striking angles.
Lastly, even though Ortiz is an excellent wrestler himself, he is not in the same class as Bader. If “Darth” chooses to take this fight to the mat, he will need to set up the take-down attempts with crisp, tactical combinations from his feet.
To make a run at Jon Jones’s title, Ryan “Darth” Bader needs to thoroughly destroy Tito Ortiz and send “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” packing for retirement.
If Bader can execute his game plan, he will once again be amongst the top 10 within the UFC light heavyweight divison.
Bleacher Report’s Dale De Souza:Even if it meant saving MMA, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber could not possibly find it in themselves to like one another.Ever since Cruz signed his name over Faber’s face at a 2007 signing (and subsequently paid for it…
Bleacher Report’s Dale De Souza:
Even if it meant saving MMA, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber could not possibly find it in themselves to like one another.
Ever since Cruz signed his name over Faber’s face at a 2007 signing (and subsequently paid for it at WEC 26), the heat has been on between the two, with Cruz beating Faber’s Team Alpha Male teammate Joseph Benavidez twice as well as another close training partner of Faber’s in Scott Jorgensen.
The trail has led to a rematch with Faber in a bout that is very easy for one to break down, as it once again breaks down to Faber’s wrestling and grappling against Cruz’s striking with cardio being the X-factor in this bout.
Expect this one to be a close fight that may look a little bit like Faber’s fight at times, but expect the champ to pull a few show-stealing moves that ultimately help nab him some of the closer rounds from Faber.
Two judges will give at least one round to Faber, while one judge will look at this fight and ultimately give Cruz all five rounds despite Faber doing well enough to take at least one or two rounds.
Once the unanimous decision is announced and Cruz retains his belt, the cries will commence for a final bout between The Dominator and The California Kid—the score will be evened on Saturday, but it will be far from settled.
These last five years have not been too kind to Tito Ortiz. He hasn’t scored a victory since defeating Ken Shamrock in 2006 and has gone 0-4-1 since then.It’s safe to say that Ortiz is fighting on borrowed time. Heading into his bout versus Ryan Bader …
These last five years have not been too kind to Tito Ortiz. He hasn’t scored a victory since defeating Ken Shamrock in 2006 and has gone 0-4-1 since then.
It’s safe to say that Ortiz is fighting on borrowed time. Heading into his bout versus Ryan Bader at UFC 132, Ortiz understands his role and accepts the consequences that will follow should he suffer another loss, but his mindset remains the same.
In an interview with Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, Ortiz said he is confident and excited to compete again. Despite what critics and fans may think, Ortiz knows his career is at stake, but he doesn’t intend on retiring anytime soon.
“Dana (White) said it, if I don’t win he’s gonna retire me,” Ortiz said.
Not the one to hold back on his true feelings, “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” said he still has what it takes to compete against the elite fighters in the UFC light heavyweight division. And one of those fighters is his opponent, Bader, who Ortiz feels he can beat and remain relevant in the UFC.
“Ryan Bader is a top-tier guy and I’m going to compete against him, and when I get my hand raised, I’m going to show everyone I’m still here as a force to be reckoned with,” he said.
UFC 132 is live this weekend from the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.
LAS VEGAS — As I relaxed in the sportsbook at the MGM Grand earlier this afternoon, patiently awaiting my complimentary domestic beer and listening to the sounds of tourists gawking at caged lions nearby, I found myself mesmerized by the one prop bet the MGM was offering on 
Ryan “Darth” Bader made a tidal-wave size impact on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter. Winning the light heavyweight crown by defeating Vinny Magalhaes on TUF, the sky was the limit for Bader.