(The leg injury didn’t help, but did you really think Browne’s two tiny hand tattoos stood a chance against Silva big foot ink?)
Well, that was anticlimactic. In many ways, the main event of UFC on FX 5 encapsulated the rest of the card – fun at times but, in some part due to forces beyond its control, not something that lived up to its potential. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was able to stop a game Travis Browne after the latter suffered a debilitating leg injury in the first round.
Browne found success with his offense when the round began, but somewhere over the course of the fight, his hamstring popped. Ouch.
Even typing that felt painful. And evidently, it was just as painful and incapacitating as you would think it is. Browne almost collapsed simply from throwing a punch at one point. Eventually,Bigfoot took advantage by rushing in, cornering Browne against the fence and delivering a mammoth right hand to Browne’s jaw.
The follow up shots sealed Silva’s victory, and most likely saved his job. For Browne and MMA fans alike, however, this was a difficult loss to swallow.
(The leg injury didn’t help, but did you really think Browne’s two tiny hand tattoos stood a chance against Silva big foot ink?)
Well, that was anticlimactic. In many ways, the main event of UFC on FX 5 encapsulated the rest of the card – fun at times but, in some part due to forces beyond its control, not something that lived up to its potential. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva was able to stop a game Travis Browne after the latter suffered a debilitating leg injury in the first round.
Browne found success with his offense when the round began, but somewhere over the course of the fight, his hamstring popped. Ouch.
Even typing that felt painful. And evidently, it was just as painful and incapacitating as you would think it is. Browne almost collapsed simply from throwing a punch at one point. Eventually,Bigfoot took advantage by rushing in, cornering Browne against the fence and delivering a mammoth right hand to Browne’s jaw.
The follow up shots sealed Silva’s victory, and most likely saved his job. For Browne and MMA fans alike, however, this was a difficult loss to swallow.
In the co-main event, Jake Ellenberger took a unanimous decision over the returning Jay Hieron in what looked like a glorified sparring session. Neither fighter appeared comfortable coming forward, but Ellenberger was able to occasionally capitalize on mistakes by Hieron.
The most significant moment of the fight came in the second round, when Ellenberger managed to land a take down and damaged Hieron with short elbows on the ground. Beyond this, however, virtually nothing of significance was landed by either party.
That said, although Ellenberger didn’t manage to distinguish himself in victory. A win is a win.
He now will attempt to get himself back into position as a contender for the welterweight crown. As for Hieron, this probably wasn’t the homecoming he anticipated. Hopefully he’ll get another chance to prove he belongs in the UFC.
The flyweight tilt between John Dodson and Jussier Formiga was probably the most significant bout of the night. It was set to determine the number one contender to the new champion, Demetrious Johnson.
After an uneventful first round, Dodson was able to land two serious left hands, each of which knocked Formiga down. The second time, Dodson didn’t allow him to get back up, firing off a barrage of ground and pound and sealing his title shot.
Michael Johnson earned KO of the Night after surviving the two runners up from Danny Castillo in the first round. However, in the second, Johnson connected with a beautiful counter left hook that turned Castillo’s lights out.Johnson followed with vicious shots on the ground, but these were academic.
Josh Neer was upset by Justin Edwards, as he was choked unconscious within a minute. Edwards’ guillotine earned him Submission of the Night. And from the Fuel undercard, Diego Nunes’ spirited victory over Bart Palaszewski picked up Fight of the Night.
It was clear to most of the home audience as well as the announcers that Browne had done damage to his knee early in the first round. A replay after the fight’s closing moments showed that Browne tweaked his knee while stepping in for a kick.Getting he…
It was clear to most of the home audience as well as the announcers that Browne had done damage to his knee early in the first round. A replay after the fight’s closing moments showed that Browne tweaked his knee while stepping in for a kick.
Getting healthy is the most important thing for “Hapa,” but once he returns, rebuilding the momentum he once enjoyed will be first on his priority list.
Here is a look at five fights for Travis Browne to take next.
(Travis plans to test Bigfoot’s chin tonight. Unfortunately, Bigfoot’s chin has already been tested by a team of doctors, and nobody can figure out what the hell is wrong with it. / Photo via CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
Fresh off his short-notice victory against the UFC 151 pay-per-view, Jim Genia is back again to liveblog tonight’s FX main card. Round-by-round results will be piling up after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’ve heard any good jokes lately, please share them in the comments section.
(Travis plans to test Bigfoot’s chin tonight. Unfortunately, Bigfoot’s chin has already been tested by a team of doctors, and nobody can figure out what the hell is wrong with it. / Photo via CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
Fresh off his short-notice victory against the UFC 151 pay-per-view, Jim Genia is back again to liveblog tonight’s FX main card. Round-by-round results will be piling up after the jump beginning at 8 p.m. ET. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and if you’ve heard any good jokes lately, please share them in the comments section.
Preliminary card results:
– Yves Edwards vs. Jeremy Stephens – Bout Scratched Due to Stephens Getting Arrested
– Michael Johnson def. Danny Castillo via KO (Punch) at 1:06, Round 2
– Jacob Volkmann def. Shane Roller via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:38, Round 1
– Diego Nunes def. Bart Palaszewski via Unanimous Decision
– Darren Uyenoyama def. Phil Harris via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:38, Round 2
– Marcus LeVesseur def. Carlo Prater via Split Decision
– Mike Pierce def. Aaron Simpson via KO (Punch) at :29, Round 2
Howdy. Jim Genia here. Ready for some UFC on FX nonsensical ramblings?
First up: Justin Edwards vs. Josh Neer
Edwards, who trains under Jorge Gurgel, has appeared in the Octagon three times but has yet to impress. Neer… man, that dude be crazy.
Round 1: Edwards comes out swinging punches and flinging raw aggression like it’s free. Neer counters by ducking his head and angling for a takedown – which plays right into a jumping arm-in guillotine that Edwards does not hesitate to slap on. Neer goes to the canvas and makes some motions like he’s going to defend, but soon he’s asleep, and Edwards has earned himself the sweet technical submission at :45 of Round 1. Okay, Edwards looks impressive now.
Justin Edwards def. Josh Neer via Technical Submission (Guillotine) at :45, Round 1
Up next: John Dodson vs. Jussier Formiga
The good news is that Dodson and Formiga are fighting for number one contender status for the flyweight title. The bad news is… ah, there is no bad news. This fight is going to rock.
Round 1: It took about a minute of dancing and circling before these two gentlemen began stepping in and swinging with bad intentions, with the American aiming crosses to the body and the Brazilian looking for a home for his counter right in the neighborhood of Dodson’s chin. But fast footwork prevented either from really nailing the other, so Formiga shot for a takedown around the three-minute mark that was easily stuffed. Another takedown was stuffed, and another, and the crowd began to boo at the lack of furious engagement.
Round 2: The dancing continued into the second, broken up by intermittent flashes of violence – including a winging overhand by Dodson 45 seconds in, and a lunging right by Formiga two minutes in. Thankfully, three minutes into the round, Dodson caught Formiga with left as the Brazilian was stepping forward, and for a few seconds, Dodson was the predator hunting its prey. Formiga, to his credit, managed to recover, but the end came soon after when the TUF winner blasted him in the gut and then dropped him with a left square in the chops. Formiga fell, rolled over, and was helpless against the subsequent barrage of fists, prompting the referee to jump in. The official time of the TKO was 4:35 of Round 2.
John Dodson def. Jussier Formiga via TKO (Punches) at 4:35, Round 2
Next: Jake Ellenberger vs. Jay Hieron
Once upon a time, Ellenberger and Hieron fought in the IFL and Hieron came away with the decision. But time has presumably changed these men, with Ellenberger establishing himself as a top UFC competitor and Hieron becoming that poor dude who can never seem to get a UFC fight. All that changes now, though!
Round 1: Mindful of Ellenberger’s power and seemingly eager to catch his foe moving forward, Hieron spends the first couple minutes of the round firing off single strikes – jabs, crosses, high-kicks, and even a couple spinning back-kicks. But his patience erodes when a minute and a half is left, and he shoots for a single-leg that Ellenberger hops out of, and he nearly catches him with some hard counters of his own.
Round 2: The round opens with Hieron dinging Ellenberger with a counter, and soon after going for a takedown that is deftly avoided. A sudden change in tactics has Ellenberger nailing a takedown of his own, and for the following minute, he’s able to bang up Hieron and open up a cut near the Xtreme Couture fighter’s eye. Though bloodied, Hieron keeps his wits about him and manages to scramble back to his feet, and for the last two minutes of the period they dance the “I’m Afraid of You, You’re Afraid of Me” Waltz.
Round 3: Their wariness leads to more dancing in the third frame, although the action is halted briefly a minute in when Hieron kicks Ellenberger in the junk. After a restart, Ellenberger goes for a takedown that Hieron squirms out of. Does their mutual respect color how they fight throughout the rest of the bout? Sadly, it does, as Hieron maintains a steady output of single, long-range kicks and punches while Ellenberger waits for that one big opening that never seems to come. Hieron does fall in the final seconds of the fight, but it isn’t clear if it’s a slip or if Ellenberger has actually tagged him, and the bout goes to the judges. The winner? Ellenberger by unanimous decision, but yeah, it’s close.
Jake Ellenberger def. Jay Hieron via Unanimous Decision
Next, the main event: Travis Browne vs. Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva
It’s hard to place where exactly in the heavyweight division Browne and Silva belong, especially since Dana White declared that Stefan Struve’s win over some scrub somehow catapulted the dude to number five in the rankings (uh, what?). Regardless, big men fighting. Hooray!
Round 1: Browne comes out throwing colorful kicks, but Silva informs him with a right hand that he better check himself before he wrecks himself. They exchange more cautiously, and a minute and a half in the Brazilian comes in, eats a knee, but still manages to tie Browne up against the fence. After a few seconds Browne escapes, but it’s suddenly evident that something is wrong with his knee, and after almost a minute of him limping around, Bigfoot steps in with a huge right that drops Browne against the cage. The fists to the side of Browne’s head may or may not have been needed, but they happened anyway, and when referee Herb Dean jumped in, it’s official: Silva has won via TKO. The time of the stoppage was 3:27 of Round 1.
Antonio Silva def. Travis Browne via TKO (Punches) at 3:27, Round 1
Afterwards, an extremely happy Silva thanked the crowd for showing up, and spoke of how much he’d trained for the fight.
It’s time to put an end to this “Travis Browne is a future UFC heavyweight champion” talk.Sure, he’s a talented heavyweight and will probably settle himself into a long career as a stepping stone for the division’s elite, but it’s time to put an end to…
It’s time to put an end to this “Travis Browne is a future UFC heavyweight champion” talk.
Sure, he’s a talented heavyweight and will probably settle himself into a long career as a stepping stone for the division’s elite, but it’s time to put an end to the hype.
That’s right. We’re talking about the same guy who practically got eviscerated by Cain Velasquez and was turned into a punching bag by Daniel Cormier.
But looking back at those fights, is it really wise to underrate Silva for losing to two of the three best heavyweights in the entire division? Or is Browne simply being overrated for remaining (technically) undefeated in the division with the highest finish rate and biggest athletes?
Maybe it’s a little bit of both.
As skilled as Browne may be, his MMA game still needs a sizable amount of fine-tuning.
Beating up Rob Broughton for three straight rounds and somehow not finishing the fight indicates that Browne doesn’t have the accuracy or technique to stop Silva on strikes.
Getting smothered in the clinch against Cheick Kongo suggests that Browne will have significantly more trouble trying to out-muscle Silva, especially with the 20-pound weight disadvantage.
By far, the most impressive win Browne can claim is a superman punch KO against Stefan Struve, but “The Skyscraper” is far from an elite heavyweight.
Nothing in that resume suggests that “Hapa” is a world-beater. Not yet.
Looking at it critically, Browne didn’t really pass the “Cheick Kongo” test, so he’s a far cry from the top of the division, and certainly not the miracle talent that some people claim.
On Friday night, Browne’s gas tank will start to empty out. His reach disadvantage will be worsened by his terrible footwork. And if he attempts to clinch with Silva, Browne is quickly going to find himself in a grappling situation he doesn’t want—especially if he’s put on his back.
Antonio Silva has buried better fighters than Browne before. Get off the hype train while you still can.
[McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.]
For the pastseveralUFCevents, CagePotato reader/contributor Dan “Get Off Me” George has been holding down the Gambling Addiction Enabler’s with the poise and classiness of a 16th century Bolognese swordsman. Unfortunately for you, he only likes to bet on the big time PPV events, so you’re stuck with me for the time being. Fortunately for you, I write a lot less than he does and love to get reckless with my hard earned cash, so let’s do this! Listed below are the odds for UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot, courtesy of BestFightOdds, followed by my advice which simply put has never been wrong not once ever.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Yves Edwards (+175) vs. Jeremy Stephens (-225)
Danny Castillo (+130) vs. Michael Johnson (-160)
Dennis Hallman (+190) vs. Thiago Tavares (-250)
Shane Roller (+150) vs. Jacob Volkmann (-180)
Diego Nunes (-180) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+150)
Phil Harris (+230) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (-290)
Marcus LeVesseur (-105) vs. Carlo Prater (-125)
Mike Pierce (-170) vs. Aaron Simpson (+150)
Thoughts…
For the pastseveralUFCevents, CagePotato reader/contributor Dan “Get Off Me” George has been holding down the Gambling Addiction Enabler’s with the poise and classiness of a 16th century Bolognese swordsman. Unfortunately for you, he only likes to bet on the big time PPV events, so you’re stuck with me for the time being. Fortunately for you, I write a lot less than he does and love to get reckless with my hard earned cash, so let’s do this! Listed below are the odds for UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot, courtesy of BestFightOdds, followed by my advice which simply put has never been wrong not once ever.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Yves Edwards (+175) vs. Jeremy Stephens (-225)
Danny Castillo (+130) vs. Michael Johnson (-160)
Dennis Hallman (+190) vs. Thiago Tavares (-250)
Shane Roller (+150) vs. Jacob Volkmann (-180)
Diego Nunes (-180) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+150)
Phil Harris (+230) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (-290)
Marcus LeVesseur (-105) vs. Carlo Prater (-125)
Mike Pierce (-170) vs. Aaron Simpson (+150)
Thoughts…
As I previously mentioned, I am going to be short and sweet for this week’s enabler. That means no prop bets and no fight-by-fight analysis, just a straight look at who I think is being under/overvalued and a suggested parlay.
The Good Dogs: Your best chances at upsets in my opinion are heavily based around the grappling-oriented gameplans of several fighters on the card. Hallman vs. Tavares, Volkmann vs. Roller, and Castillo vs. Johnson will be determined by the abilities of Volkmann, Hallman, and Castillo to get the fight to the ground and grapple out a decision. In all three cases, you are looking at only a slight to moderate underdog hovering in the +150 to +200 range. Of these three matches, the person who stands the best chance of implementing this gameplan is Dennis Hallman, who holds a notable size advantage over most every lightweight out there including Tavares. Although he has looked great lately and has a solid Jiu-Jitsu base, I think Hallman should be able stay heavy on top of Tavares and avoid getting submitted long enough to score a close decision victory.
While we all know that Shane Roller is undoubtedly more well rounded than Jacob Volkmann, we also know that it takes a hell of a wrestler to deal with the grappling prowess of the Minnesotan. Roller, while being a talented grappler in his own right, does not lead me to believe that he can defend Volkmann’s takedowns when a wrestler like Danny Castillo couldn’t. Volkmann has shown that he can be submitted by an opponent with an offensive guard, but the key to a Roller victory here is going to be keeping the fight standing. Roller showed in the Thiago Tavares fight that he does pack some power, so if you think he’ll be able to fend off Volkmann’s takedowns for long enough to land a haymaker, I’d suggest a wager on him as well. Personally, I just don’t think that will be the case. Castillo vs. Johnson is in the same vein. Johnson will be looking to keep things on the feet, but Castillo is a stellar grappler who is strong on top and will probably be looking to exploit Johnson’s somewhat weak submission defense. If he is able to get Johnson to the mat in the first round, expect him to dictate the action for the rest of the fight.
There is one other option: Bart Palaszewski vs. Diego Nunes.
This fight is a little easier to gauge: Both men are primarily strikers, both are coming off losses, and both are 1-2 in their past 3. The difference in their striking lies in pure aggressiveness; Nunes is known for using his kicks to keep his opponents at bay and has shown little killer instinct in the past couple of years, whereas “Bartimus” loves to drag things into a good old fashioned brawl and let the fists fly. Bart should also hold an advantage in the grappling game, so expect to see him utilize some clinch work and dirty boxing to eek out a decision over Nunes if things get hairy on the feet.
Come to think of it, that was pretty much a fight-by-fight analysis. MOVING ON.
Stay the Hell Away From: The main event. Antonio Silva is not listed as a big enough dog to risk a bet on and Browne has notched impressive victories over Stefan Struve and Chad Griggs in between weak performances against Cheick Kongo and Rob Broughton. Browne should easily take this, but you don’t want to risk your parlay on whether or not he’ll have an off night.
Official CagePotato Parlay: Pierce – Stephens – Dodson – Ellenberger
Official CagePotato Parlay #2: Pierce – Hallman – Dodson
Travis Browne, Antonio Silva, Jay Hieron, and all of the players in tomorrow night’s UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot card are set to hit the scales tonight from the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event will be broadcast live starting at 5 p.m. EST, and wouldn’t you know it, we happen to have TOTALLY EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE of the weigh-ins right here!
OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but we will be covering all the action, so make sure to swing by at 5 p.m. today for the staredowns and 8 p.m. tomorrow for all our liveblog coverage of UFC on FX 5.
Travis Browne, Antonio Silva, Jay Hieron, and all of the players in tomorrow night’s UFC on FX: Browne vs. Bigfoot card are set to hit the scales tonight from the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The event will be broadcast live starting at 5 p.m. EST, and wouldn’t you know it, we happen to have TOTALLY EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE of the weigh-ins right here!
OK, so maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but we will be covering all the action, so make sure to swing by at 5 p.m. today for the staredowns and 8 p.m. tomorrow for all our liveblog coverage of UFC on FX 5.
MAIN CARD (FX 8 p.m.)
-Travis Browne (246) vs. Antonio Silva(266)
-Jake Ellenberger (170) vs. Jay Hieron (170)
-John Dodson (126) vs. Jussier Formiga (126)
-Josh Neer (171) vs. Justin Edwards (170)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook/FUEL 5 p.m.)
-Yves Edwards (156) vs. Jeremy Stephens (156)
-Danny Castillo (156) vs. Michael Johnson (156)
-Dennis Hallman ( ) vs. Thiago Tavares ( )**
-Shane Roller (156) vs. Jacob Volkmann (155)
-Diego Nunes (146) vs. Bart Palaszewski (147*)
-Phil Harris (125) vs. Darren Uyenoyama (125)
-Marcus LeVesseur (156) vs. Carlo Prater (156)
-Mike Pierce (171) vs. Aaron Simpson (171)
*Palaszewski has an hour to lose the pound.
**Apparently Hallman was seven pounds over and struck a deal with Tavares that if he could get down to three pounds over the fight would be on. He failed to do so and the fight was cancelled but Tavares will be getting his show money. Well, there goes that bet, and likely Hallman’s UFC career given the fact that he missed weight for his last fight as well and exposed his balls on TV before that.
It’s time to put an end to this “Travis Browne is a future UFC heavyweight champion” talk.