Tag: TUF

10 Wrestlers Who Became Knockout Artists In MMA

Everyone loves a good knockout. But sometimes fighters don’t break into mixed martial arts with pure KO power in their hands. Some obviously come from wrestling, having spent their lives learning to take opponents down and defend their takedowns. The collegiate wrestler turned MMA fighter usually gets some grief. Fans typically believe that the wrestler […]

The post 10 Wrestlers Who Became Knockout Artists In MMA appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Everyone loves a good knockout. But sometimes fighters don’t break into mixed martial arts with pure KO power in their hands.

Some obviously come from wrestling, having spent their lives learning to take opponents down and defend their takedowns.

The collegiate wrestler turned MMA fighter usually gets some grief. Fans typically believe that the wrestler depends largely on the lay and pray and ground and pound methods to win fights. While this sentiment may have held true in the early days of MMA, it’s not the case anymore.

In today’s MMA, athletes transitioning from collegiate wrestling have an abundance of resources. This has led to more wrestlers developing scary knockout power.

We took a look at 10 wrestlers who became knockout artists in MMA. The list starts here:

Tyron Woodley

Few college wrestlers have enjoyed the success in MMA as UFC welterweight champion Woodley.

Woodley burst on the fight scene in 2009. He quickly developed a reputation as a finisher and made his Strikeforce debut in just his third pro fight.

As of late, the reigning welterweight champion has come under some criticism for his lack of urgency when closing out some of his more recent title defenses.

The “Chosen One” answered the doubters at UFC 228 when he smashed Darren Till with a thunderous right hand and followed it up with a submission victory.

The post 10 Wrestlers Who Became Knockout Artists In MMA appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Video: ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Season 1 Cast Reunion, Where Has The Time Gone

Where has the time gone? 14 years later the cast from ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ season one shares some memories.

The post Video: ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Season 1 Cast Reunion, Where Has The Time Gone appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Where has the time gone?

The Ultimate Fighter has been chugging along for 27 seasons now. Some have been fantastic; others were not so much. But the original cast of characters from “TUF 1” still holds a special place in MMA fans hearts.

The UFC has been working overtime as of late compiling a ton of new content in lieu of the promotions 25th Anniversary. One such program will feature a where are they now style documentary revolving around the original cast from the groundbreaking first season of TUF back in 2005.

Only Josh Koscheck, Lodune Sincaid, and Jason Thacker missed out on the “TUF 1” reunion. All of the other fighters and coaches from the inaugural season took part in the get-together.

Retired fighter and “TUF 1” cast member Mike Swick shared an interesting side by side comparison photo via social media.

“TUF 1” middleweight winner Diego Sanchez is the only fighter still competing inside the octagon 14 years later. Although, a number of other fighters and coaches from TUF 1 are still active in the sport. Namely, Chris Leben who recently came out retirement to fight Phil Baroni in a bare-knuckle boxing match later this year.

Here are some more social media posts via Instagram:

#baby

A post shared by Diego Sanchez (@diegonightmaresanchezufc) on

Mike Swick’s video post via Twitter:

The Ultimate Fighter franchise may be coming to a close, but the original cast from season one will always hold a special place in MMA fans hearts.

The post Video: ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ Season 1 Cast Reunion, Where Has The Time Gone appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Dana White Opens Up On Greg Hardy’s UFC Future

‘The Ultimate Fighter’ gym will be closing but TUF will live on ESPN according to Dana White.

The post Dana White Opens Up On Greg Hardy’s UFC Future appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Greg Hardy’s UFC future is looking bright after yet another first-round knockout.

However, it’s the end of the road for ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ gym according to UFC President Dana White.

White addressed the media following the conclusion of his ‘Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series” second season last night and explained that ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ gym will close its doors, but TUF will live on at ESPN.

Watch White’s post-Contender-Series scrum here via MMA Fighting:

The UFC’s head man addressed the future of TUF and the Contender Series. He also spoke on Greg Hardy’s, who scored another violent knockout last night, UFC future and what he needs to improve:

“I told him, I said, ‘I hope you’re working on your wrestling, because I think guys are gonna start coming out and trying to take you down,’” White said. “I don’t see how much longer guys will come out and strike with him. He claims he’s working on his wrestling and his ground game all day, every day, so we’re gonna continue to build this guy, continue to get him fights and see what he does.

“It’s the level of competition. The guy is 1-0 and he just fought a guy who was 3-0. When a guy has that mentality going into a fight, it’s a good thing,” White said. “But you saw what happened. In 17 seconds, he finished him. [Hardy] hits hard, he’s big, he’s strong, he’s confident. He got hit with a couple shots on the chin, took him. It’s all gonna be about that ground game when that happens to him.”

As for the criticism the UFC has received for signing Hardy, White said he’s trying to turn his life around. The former NFL star has a concerning history of arrests, but has been great with the UFC:

“The guy has changed his life around,” White said. “This is his second chance. He’s been excellent to deal with. Every body who has come in contact with him since he’s been with us has said nothing but good [things] about him. The guy made a mistake. You’re always gonna have the freaks that have nothing better to do and this and that and somebody has a cause.

“What the guy did was horrible. He has a second chance here. He turned his life around. What do they want the guy to do? He should never work again? He should never do anything again? Life doesn’t work that way.”

The post Dana White Opens Up On Greg Hardy’s UFC Future appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Quote: Robert Whittaker May Not Be The Same After Yoel Romero Wars

Will Robert Whittaker bounce back from his wars with Yoel Romero?

The post Quote: Robert Whittaker May Not Be The Same After Yoel Romero Wars appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Following two grueling wars with Yoel Romero, Robert Whittaker will defend his UFC middleweight championship against Kelvin Gastelum after the two coach The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 28.

Gastelum recently discussed Whittaker’s current state during a media scrum (via MMA Fighting), noting that there’s a good chance the champion may not be the same after two back-and-forth brawls with one of MMA’s heaviest hitters:

“I don’t know if he’s going to be the same fighter after these fights. These wars that he’s been in, it takes a toll on the body, so we’ll see how he comes out after this hand surgery.”

Although “Bobby Knuckles” emerged victorious in both five-round fights, there’s no denying the damage he took in both fights, as he was sidelined for 11 months due to knee surgery after the first bout and will now get hand surgery before he returns to meet Gastelum.

We’ve seen fighters engage in brutal battles where, despite perhaps emerging victorious, they aren’t quite the same afterward. Robbie Lawler and Carlos Condit’s respective declines following their classic battle at UFC 196 comes to mind, as does Dan Henderson’s fall after his five-round classic with Shogun at UFC 139.

But Whittaker has far fewer miles on his tires compared to those longtime vets, so even though he’s required surgeries after his two bouts with Romero, he could also bounce back more than the older fighters who fell following similar contests.

What do you think? Will Whittaker bounce back strong to take out a surging young contender in Gastelum, or will he show the wear of the wars?

The post Quote: Robert Whittaker May Not Be The Same After Yoel Romero Wars appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Israel Adesanya vs. Brad Tavares Full Fight Video Highlights

Watch the highlights of Israel Adesanya’s dominant win over Brad Tavares:

The post Israel Adesanya vs. Brad Tavares Full Fight Video Highlights appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

A potential star was set to rise when touted middleweight prospect Israel Adesanya met longtime vet Brad Tavares in the main event of last night’s (Fri., July 6, 2018) The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 27 Finale from the Pearl Theatre in Paradise, Nevada.

And when the dust settled, Adesanya had proved why he rates as one of the UFC’s biggest prospects by impressively dominating the No. 8-ranked middleweight in the UFC from pillar to post.

“The Last Stylebender” looked nothing short of amazing with his varied striking offense, landing fast low and body kicks, laser-like punches, and vicious Muay Thai knees and elbows for five full rounds. Tavares could mount little offense, throwing several wild shots and missing on all but 1 of his unofficial 11 takedown attempts.

Adesanya started his parade of massive significant strikes by nailing Tavares with a body kick that appeared to rock him momentarily:

Adesanya then wobbled Tavares with a sharp two-punch combination featuring an exclamation point of a right hand:

Finally, “The Last Stylebender” scored with a move that looked like it was straight out Anderson Silva’s playbook, grabbing Tavares’ wrist and hitting him with a perfect short elbow that gave him a nasty cut for the rest of the fight:

Adesanya was then declared the clear-cut winner in by far his biggest UFC fight to stay undefeated and continue his rise up to the top of the UFC 185-pound class:

The post Israel Adesanya vs. Brad Tavares Full Fight Video Highlights appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Breaking: Robert Whittaker & Kelvin Gastelum Set To Fight After Coaching TUF 28

Robert Whittaker has his next opponent set:

The post Breaking: Robert Whittaker & Kelvin Gastelum Set To Fight After Coaching TUF 28 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has his next opponent set.

Almost a month after he outlasted Yoel Romero in the main event of June 9’s UFC 225, it was revealed that “The Reaper” will coach the upcoming The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 28 opposite top contender Kelvin Gastelum during tonight’s (Fri., July 6, 2018) TUF 27 Finale from Paradise, Nevada.

Gastelum has won four of his last six fights, with his last win a closely-contested split decision over longtime veteran and former Strikeforce champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in the co-main event of May 12’s UFC 224 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He would have five wins in his last six fights if his TKO win over Vitor Belfort in March 2017 had not been overturned due to Gastelum testing positive for *********.

The lone blemish on his record in that span is a submission loss to former champion Chris Weidman last July. There was talk, especially from Whittaker’s manager, that Weidman would be the next challenger for the belt, but with Weidman out of action since beating Gastelum and also losing his prior three fights to his win over the TUF 17 champ, the title shot was given to the much more active fighter.

Whittaker has won his last nine fights in a row, earning a well-deserved reputation as not only one of the most dangerous strikers in the UFC, but also one of its most iron-chinned as well after he was rocked by Romero on numerous occasions only to survive and win on sheer pace and volume at UFC 225.

The two will face off later this year, but an official date and venue has not been announced.

The post Breaking: Robert Whittaker & Kelvin Gastelum Set To Fight After Coaching TUF 28 appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.