Tag: UFC 130

Armchair Matchmaker: UFC 130 Edition

Roy Nelson Frank Mir
(Meanwhile in Roy’s stomach, a dozen undigested cheeseburgers cried for mercy. Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

Look, I was all for sweeping UFC 130 under the rug and never mentioning it again, but since ReX has shamed me into doing this, it’s time to look back at Saturday’s big winners (and big, big losers) and see if we can devise some future matchups for these guys that will actually produce interesting fights. Make it happen, tiny atheist.

Quinton Jackson: Dana White seems dead-set on giving Rampage a title shot if his hand is healthy enough to accept it. Ugh, terrible. Why the UFC isn’t interested in promoting the hottest rivalry in the sport is anybody’s guess. (And don’t give me that bullshit about “timing”; it’s more likely related to White’s personal feelings about Rashad Evans.) In a perfect world, Rampage sits out for a few months and faces the winner of Shogun vs. Forrest at UFC 134 in Rio. With losses to both on his record, I don’t think motivation would be an issue.

Matt Hamill: Sure, on paper Hamill was coming into the fight against Rampage with a five-fight win streak — but considering that the most impressive victory in that streak (by far!) was his knockout of Mark Munoz, you have to wonder where the Hammer really sits in the light-heavyweight pecking order. My first thought was that Hamill should face the resurgent Vladimir Matyushenko next — but Vlad already has a date in August. So give him the winner of Kyle Kingsbury vs. Fabio Maldonado at this Saturday’s TUF 13 Finale. Either Hamill rebounds, or a rising prospect gets a big-name notch on their belt. Seems win-win to me.

Roy Nelson Frank Mir
(Meanwhile in Roy’s stomach, a dozen undigested cheeseburgers cried for mercy. Photo courtesy of UFC.com)

Look, I was all for sweeping UFC 130 under the rug and never mentioning it again, but since ReX has shamed me into doing this, it’s time to look back at Saturday’s big winners (and big, big losers) and see if we can devise some future matchups for these guys that will actually produce interesting fights. Make it happen, tiny atheist.

Quinton Jackson: Dana White seems dead-set on giving Rampage a title shot if his hand is healthy enough to accept it. Ugh, terrible. Why the UFC isn’t interested in promoting the hottest rivalry in the sport is anybody’s guess. (And don’t give me that bullshit about “timing”; it’s more likely related to White’s personal feelings about Rashad Evans.) In a perfect world, Rampage sits out for a few months and faces the winner of Shogun vs. Forrest at UFC 134 in Rio. With losses to both on his record, I don’t think motivation would be an issue.

Matt Hamill: Sure, on paper Hamill was coming into the fight against Rampage with a five-fight win streak — but considering that the most impressive victory in that streak (by far!) was his knockout of Mark Munoz, you have to wonder where the Hammer really sits in the light-heavyweight pecking order. My first thought was that Hamill should face the resurgent Vladimir Matyushenko next — but Vlad already has a date in August. So give him the winner of Kyle Kingsbury vs. Fabio Maldonado at this Saturday’s TUF 13 Finale. Either Hamill rebounds, or a rising prospect gets a big-name notch on their belt. Seems win-win to me.

Frank Mir: Unfortunately, back-to-back wins over Mirko Cro Cop and Roy Nelson have done nothing to raise this guy’s stock. I think a fight against Brendan Schaub still makes sense, as long as Schaub finds a way to get past Big Nog in August and Mir is willing to sit out for a while. At that point, fighting the TUF 10 finalist might be considered a step up for Mir.

Roy Nelson: Throw him up against Cro Cop on the Spike Prelims portion of a pay-per-view event. The loser leaves the Octagon forever. And for Christ’s sake, Roy, talk to Mike Dolce.

Travis Browne: After a 2-0-1 UFC stint against solid competition, I’d like to see Browne get a modest step up against another dangerous bastard — namely Mike Russow, who is also undefeated in three Octagon appearances. Russow is coming off a doctor’s stoppage TKO of Jon Madsen, which followed his legendary comeback knockout of Todd Duffee. It’s a matchup that would produce a legitimate contender in the heavyweight division.

Rick Story: With six wins in a row, he’s now qualified to call out any 170-pounder in the UFC outside of Georges St. Pierre — and for some reason, he’s chosen Jon Fitch. Dude, what? Nobody looks good fighting Jon Fitch, except GSP himself. Instead, Story should be calling out Josh Koscheck, who’s just as highly-regarded as Fitch, but more likely to produce a memorable fight. In a way, Story is like the second-coming of Koscheck — a seasoned wrestler with power in his hands — so a meeting between the two makes a lot of sense.

Brian Stann: The UFC’s 185-pound division is heavy at the middle right now, so one more impressive win could break Stann out of the logjam and set him on a title track. But all the other contenders in the middleweight division seem to be booked right now. The best option? Have the All-American fight the winner of Demian Maia vs. Mark Munoz, who meet at UFC 131 on June 11th.

Demetrious Johnson: If you’ve compiled a four-fight win streak with your last two victories coming against Miguel Torres and Kid Yamamoto, then yes, you are one of the top dogs in the bantamweight division. But I’d like to see how well Mighty Mouse does against a fighter who can stop his takedowns — and there are a number of 135-ers in the UFC who fit that description. July’s UFC 132 event holds two possibilities: Urijah Faber if he loses to Dominick Cruz in the main event, or former champ Brian Bowles if defeats Takeya Mizugaki. Either opponent would be a trial-by-fire for Johnson, but he’s earned it.

(BG)

Got any other suggestions for UFC 130′s fighters? Let us know in the comments section…

The Two Sheds Review: Main Event Changes and Lessons on Conditioning at UFC 130

It was a show of main-event changes as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced Matt “The Hammer” Hamill in the main event of UFC 130, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.No review of the pre…

It was a show of main-event changes as Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced Matt “The Hammer” Hamill in the main event of UFC 130, shown live in the early hours of this past Sunday morning on ESPN here in Britain.

No review of the preliminaries this month as ESPN had technical problems (again), so it’s on to the main show, beginning with middleweight action as Brian Stann faced Jorge Santiago.

The All-American is really starting to come into his own. After a somewhat cagey start from both men, Stann connected with a left that sent Santiago down. Stann followed him down for the ground and pound but couldn’t quite get the job done.

Stann continued his great work in the second, and a big right to the temple sent Santiago down again. A brief period of ground and pound followed before the referee stepped in to give Stann the impressive TKO win.

It was down to welterweight for the next fight as Thiago Alves faced Rick Story.

This was a very good encounter. Story put on a great display of grappling for the first two rounds, neutralizing Alves’ superior striking ability. Alves got in some good strikes, but Story was able to respond in kind.

We saw more striking from Alves in the third, as well as some exciting exchanges, with Alves rocking his man a number of times, the fight ending with both men swinging for the fences.

So with the fight going the distance it went down to the judges, with Story getting the unanimous decision.

The big boys of the heavyweight division were up next as Stefan Struve faced Travis Browne.

This battle of the big men began with both fighters connecting with a series of kicks. A clinch against the cage was followed by a brief foray to the ground before they returned to the striking game.

Seconds later and it was all over. Browne connected with a Superman punch that sent Struve crashing, the referee quickly stepping in to give Browne the great knockout win.

The heavyweight action continued as Frank Mir went up against Roy Nelson.

This battle of hometown boys proved to be a highly entertaining affair. We also got a lesson about conditioning.

Mir dominated the majority of the fight, putting on a performance that was far superior than his effort against Mirko Cro Cop.

Big Country had his moments, but as time went on Nelson’s lack of physical conditioning showed, and as he sat on his stool between the second and third rounds he had the look of a beaten and exhausted man, with Mir once again dominating with his grappling and his ground and pound.

No surprise with the judges’ decision as all three gave the fight to Mir. A great performance from the former champion, and an example of how Nelson really needs to go back to the drawing board.

The main event saw Quinton Jackson taking on Matt Hamill in the light heavyweight division.

Rampage seemed to have Hamill worked out from the start. Whenever Hamill went for a takedown Jackson was able to defend easily. It was the same whenever Hamill went for a clinch.

As for the striking, Rampage had that department covered as well, out-striking his opponent and connecting with some hard knees and shots to the body.

So with another fight going the distance it went to the judges again, with all three giving the fight to Rampage. It may not have been pretty but it was effective.

The show rounded out with filler material in the form of the lightweight encounter between Gleison Tibau and Rafaello Oliveira.

This all Brazilian affair was a nice way to end the show. Things looked pretty even in the first as both men got off some crisp strikes and showed some good work during the brief trip to the ground.

It was pretty much the same in the second until Tibau connected with a big left that sent Oliveira down. Moments later Tibau took his man’s back and clinched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.

In conclusion—they’ve done it again.

Even though this was devoid of a title fight after both Gray Maynard and Frankie Edgar pulled out injured, it was still a very good show, and although a couple of the performances were a little disappointing, that didn’t detract from my overall enjoyment.

So all-in-all, UFC 130 gets the thumbs up from me.

Let’s hope ESPN doesn’t screw up any more shows though!

Don’t forget to check out my Web site at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com.

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UFC 130’s 5 Moves Forward: "Rampage," Johnson, Story and Stann Winners

UFC 130 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas shuffled the contender decks this Memorial Day Weekend. Here are five moves that are shaping up and shaking up the UFC’s weight classes.     1) “Rampage” Next for Jon J…

UFC 130 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas shuffled the contender decks this Memorial Day Weekend. Here are five moves that are shaping up and shaking up the UFC’s weight classes.    

1) “Rampage” Next for Jon Jones for Real

The UFC knows the value of continuing Jon Jones’ momentum relies heavily on who the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship defends his belt against first. If a fractured hand Jackson nursed while securing a clean, stock win against Matt Hamill Saturday night heals in time for him to fight Jon Jones next, he should be chosen over Lyoto Machida as the no. 1 contender more for his blockbuster appeal than his razor-thin decision against Machida last November at UFC 123. 

Plans for the UFC’s first showcase of Jon Jones the champion have changed nearly as much as the title has changed hands since Chuck Liddell’s two-year reign over the division ended in 2007 (six). Rashad Evans’ August meeting scheduled with Phil Davis at UFC 133 hasn’t slowed talk of Evans-Jones although it’s ensured Evans is immediately unavailable. In addition to compelling beef with Jones, Evans holds a win over Jackson, who holds a win over Machida, who holds a win over Evans. 

The consistent title changes and tough timing have disguised how healthy it is to have three former champions and a rising star wild card on deck to challenge the throne. The silver lining here is that of the last six 205-pound champions in the UFC, Jones and Jackson stand out currently as the most popular.

The UFC has the opportunity for a rare bout between a history-making 23-year-old champion in Jones and a foil of a veteran champion in Jackson. The window of opportunity for that bout is now because Jackson, 32, eyeing retirement at 35 suggests it will take big money fights to truly garner his big money performances. 

2) Demetrious Johnson’s Mighty Case for a Title Shot

“Mighty Mouse” Demetrious Johnson competed with former WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel Torres for every second of his captivating 15-minute SPIKE TV preliminary scrap with Miguel Torres. A Matt Hume protégé, Johnson has four consecutive victories including back-to-back against former champions in Torres and K-1 HERO’s 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix Champion Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto. The 24-year-old has exceeded expectations in an underdog role for his last three bouts. With 135-pounds hosting it’s first UFC main event at UFC 132 in July between champion Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber, Johnson is the perfect uncelebrated but serious challenger for a champion riding the biggest win of his career and looking to further establish themselves via real opposition. 

For Torres, coming off a well-played contest, Yamamoto is a fight that contains intrigue stemming back to their time being internationally acclaimed outside of the UFC.

3) Brian Stann’s Flagship Fight

Brian Stann disposed of Sengoku Middleweight Champion Jorge Santiago in their Fight of the Night honored contest 31 seconds shy of the second round’s end. “All-American” displayed marked improvement in the facet of his game already considered his strength—his striking. His looks standing left Santiago confused and eventually broken, signaling Stann is a fighter capable of outclassing top-10 opponents. 

The Marine’s marketability surely will fast track him to a title shot; however, Anderson Silva’s unparalleled reign leaves the former WEC Light Heavyweight Champion with few opponents that can advance Stann’s contender position while he continues evolving as a fighter ready for someone of Silva’s caliber. Stann will be happy to report for regularly duty but he should compete in a title eliminator bout opposite Wanderlei Silva, Mark Munoz or Michael Bisping, whichever fighter emerges from their contender bouts with Chris Leben, Demian Maia and Jason Miller respectively with the most momentum. 

For Santiago, he endured the worst outcome possible in his UFC return, but the resilient Brazilian would benefit from mixing it up with another hard luck, solid middleweight in Dan Miller. 

4) Getting Rick Story Straight

A sturdy chin and poise to fire punches back in the face of adversity Rick Story demonstrated versus Thiago Alves coupled with a six-fight win streak undoubtedly places the Brave Legion rep in contender talks. The 26-year-old passed a significant wrestling test against Johny Hendricks and now a striking test versus Alves. If he can neutralize the submission grappling of Jake Shields, another former title challenger to Georges St. Pierre’s UFC Welterweight Championship, Story could solidify he’s ready for the no. 1 contender spot.

Story has been bold in calling his shots at welterweight. That attitude is welcome when it’s from confidence in skills instead of confidence in an ability to sell a fight, which is why Rick Story is a “Horror” for other contenders and a dream for fans. 

For Alves, the loser of Chris Lytle-Dan Hardy would stand well against his muay Thai.  

5) UFC Heavyweights Could Use Strikeforce Bump

Frank Mir pushed around and beat up Roy Nelson to a decision in co-main event action, while Travis Browne scored the Knockout of the Night with a thrilling and unique superman punch KO versus Stefan Struve in round one. The winning heavyweights are at two entirely different junctures in their UFC career yet they have one thing in common: their best fights are in Strikeforce. 

Mir likely concludes his trilogy with Brock Lesnar next when Lesnar recovers from diverticulitis. Facing the biggest star in MMA is a lucrative plus; however, defeat could irrevocably damage Mir’s longevity as a contender because key losses are valued more when the division doesn’t have the requisite depth to reestablish former champions with legitimate threats in the upper-echelon of the division like Antonio Silva, Sergei Kharitonov and Josh Barnett. 

For Nelson, there’s not many prospects left at heavyweight although a chance to avenge a controversial loss to Andrei Arlovski allows him to have a contest relevant to his career while reinventing it by losing weight. 

Browne appears incredibly promising to the heavyweight class thanks to his 6’7 frame and Alliance Training Center’s movement-oriented boxing. Good prospects like Shane Del Rosario and Daniel Cormier are legit counterparts that generate excitement for an up-and-comer like the Hawaiian. Instead, Browne can take a stern challenge from a grizzled guy like Mike Russow to raise his stock. 

Danny Acosta is the lead writer at FIGHT! Magazine. Follow him on twitter.com/acostaislegend

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UFC 130 Results: Jackson and the Senior Fight Club Don’t Break Dance No More

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira and Co. still got some moves—but leave the headspins and the helicopters to the young guns.A few street-dance maneuvers, maybe.But…

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva, Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira and Co. still got some moves—but leave the headspins and the helicopters to the young guns.

A few street-dance maneuvers, maybe.

But any dolphin or back dive inside the octagon could be the equivalent of a kamikaze.

Reality check: The above-mentioned fighters are more chronologically advanced (a politically correct term) than most, and they’ve been through more wars and have suffered more wear and tear. (Boxing legend Erik Morales, at 34 years old, may still be “young enough” among his fighting contemporaries, but everybody sees that inside the ring he has aged dramatically more than most as a result of his 57 pugilistic battles.)

They no longer have youth on their side, and wounded warriors at their actual and fighting age take more time to heal.

It’s a given that they’re slower now and gas out earlier in varying degrees.

Expect the younger fighters to fight at a faster pace while sustaining the up tempo considerably longer.

And hunger, especially when facing the legends of the sport, is another serious consideration.

The thrill in watching the young dogs fight the old ones in the junkyard is in this: anticipating how the latter can temper their youthful energy with intelligence to pull out a victory over the slower, but craftier veterans.

And this is something that Matt Hamill (10-3)—chronologically two years older at 34 but a generation younger as far as MMA career and accumulated damage are concerned—failed to accomplish last Saturday night at UFC 130, proving that the athlete in Ramp-aged (32-8) still occupies a higher place in this exacting sport than some emerging prospects.

This, despite all the terrible beatings Jackson has taken, especially way back in PRIDE, in the hands and knees of the fighter originally nicknamed “Cachorro Louco.”

The seeming lack of fire from the vets inside and outside the octagon may not be just a matter of motivation; it could be a natural byproduct of aging in calendar and fight years.

We know that soon Jackson and Co. will be all bark and no bite, and…

How many fighters belong to the same gene pool as Randy Couture?

Your guess is as good as mine.

And unless you’ve been living under a Wi-Fi-proof rock with no underground cable connection, you must know by now that our Captain America has retired and is just using his mighty shield as an umbrella on a beach somewhere.

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UFC 130 Results: Power Ranking the Top 15 Welterweights

UFC 130 may not have been the greatest card of all time, but a few fights helped to establish the contenders from the pretenders in their respective divisions. One example of this is Rick Story, a fighter who was not ranked in most folks top 20 welterw…

UFC 130 may not have been the greatest card of all time, but a few fights helped to establish the contenders from the pretenders in their respective divisions.

One example of this is Rick Story, a fighter who was not ranked in most folks top 20 welterweights coming in, pulling off a huge upset over Thiago Alves.

Alves fought for the UFC welterweight belt back in July of 2009, and despite only being 1-2 since then, he was still generally considered a top three welterweight fighter coming into the match up with “The Horror” Story.

This is a major shake up for the UFC’s welterweight division, so an updated power ranking for the top 10 most credentialed fighters in the division seems in order.

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UFC News: Rampage Jackson on Jon Jones: "He Has My Belt"

After defeating Matt Hamil at UFC 130, UFC president Dana White announced that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson would likely be the next contender to face UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.But Jackson revealed he went into his bout with a fractured ha…

After defeating Matt Hamil at UFC 130, UFC president Dana White announced that Quinton “Rampage” Jackson would likely be the next contender to face UFC light heavyweight champion, Jon Jones.

But Jackson revealed he went into his bout with a fractured hand—an injury that could prevent him from competing for a title shot if he is not medically cleared.

Jackson elaborated on the injury during the UFC 130 post-fight press conference.

“Honestly, I hurt my hand in Japan back in December/Christmas, drunken around, fighting with my friend in the hallway. I thought it would heal up,” Jackson explained to reporters.

While the win wasn’t the most entertaining performance of Jackson’s career, it was enough to elevate himself into the title picture.

White said that should Jackson’s injury not prevent him from competing, he will be in line for a title bout with Jones. 

But Jackson confidently stated he will be able to compete against Jones and accepted the bout.

Jones is currently out of action nursing an injury that has prevented him from training, but if both fighters heal properly and all goes according to plan, Jackson and Jones could be scheduled for a title bout in September or October. 

Jackson, who previously held light heavyweight gold, relinquished the title over to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86—a controversial bout that some fans believe Jackson won. While he holds nothing against Jones, the fact that he has the belt has motivated Jackson to beat the 23-year-old and reclaim the belt that he feels he never lost.

“I still feel like I didn’t lose that belt, ” Jackson said.

“I don’t really know Jones, I don’t got nothing against him. He has my belt.”

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