Tag: UFC 135

MMA Stock Market: UFC 135 Jones vs. Jackson Edition


(Mess with a bull and you’ll get the horns; mess with a Diaz and you’ll get a Stockton Slap.)

By Jason Moles

It’s time once again to examine your portfolio now that UFC 135 is in the books. Take this opportunity to maximize your ROI by heeding the advice below. Keep reading to find out if you’re sitting on a gold mine or if you need to take that dog to a nice farm where he can roam. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs so lets play another game of Buy, Sell, Hold.

Jon “Bones” Jones: Buy! Buy! Buy!

Last night Jonny “Bones” Jones did what no fighter has done since 2007 — successfully defend the UFC light heavyweight championship. (I don’t care what you say, Shogun won that fight!) I know I’m supposed to tell you to “Buy low, sell high”, and Jones is at an all-time high right now. Just know that the champ’s stock is as low as it will ever be for at least the next ten or so years. Crisp, unorthodox striking combined with superb, tactical grappling contained inside a combat vessel in its prime — need I say more?


(Mess with a bull and you’ll get the horns; mess with a Diaz and you’ll get a Stockton Slap.)

By Jason Moles

It’s time once again to examine your portfolio now that UFC 135 is in the books. Take this opportunity to maximize your ROI by heeding the advice below. Keep reading to find out if you’re sitting on a gold mine or if you need to take that dog to a nice farm where he can roam. You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs so lets play another game of Buy, Sell, Hold.

Jon “Bones” Jones: Buy! Buy! Buy!

Last night Jonny “Bones” Jones did what no fighter has done since 2007 — successfully defend the UFC light heavyweight championship. (I don’t care what you say, Shogun won that fight!) I know I’m supposed to tell you to “Buy low, sell high”, and Jones is at an all-time high right now. Just know that the champ’s stock is as low as it will ever be for at least the next ten or so years. Crisp, unorthodox striking combined with superb, tactical grappling contained inside a combat vessel in its prime — need I say more?

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson: Hold, while I sell.

Gordon Gekko said “Greed is good.” and I’m not about to argue. I want to make more money so I’m telling you to hold Jackson’s stock so I can sell all of mine before you do.  The stock market is a brutal mistress. Her cutthroat ways will entice you to slit her throat with the dagger she left in your back. “Rampage” was motivated to get his belt baaaaaaacccckkkk. This we know. Now that he got subbed by a ‘kid’, his ego has shriveled to the size of a testicle plagued by hypogonadism. He’ll fight again and he’ll probably win, but the risk is not worth the reward of being a shareholder.

John Koscheck: Buy

No one thinks Koscheck is Georges St. Pierre but there is still much money to be made by owning a few hundred shares. Hey, you! Yeah, you. Shut up about KO-ing an aging Matt Hughes already. There’s more to the MMA stock market than just buying based on who the fighter beat. Kos is one of the biggest ****heads in the UFC, nay, the entire MMA world. Fans love to hate this trash talkin’ kid and would give you their last dollar just to see the possibility of him him getting his face smashed in again. This is why you buy.

Matt Hughes: Bye, bye, bye.

Sun-Tzu once said, “If your enemy is superior, evade him. If angry, irritate him. If equally matched, fight, and if not split and reevaluate.” Despite his desire to fight again, the counsel has spoken — dude needs to hang up his gloves. He may not be able to ride off into the sunset, but he should ride nonetheless. We’ll remember him for being one of the most dominant champions in UFC history and we’ll give him a call if we need any help choosing a new John Deere.

Travis Browne: Hold

Based on the level of competition Browne has faced in the heavyweight division; don’t make any moves just yet. Despite his winded performance down the stretch in Denver, he’s a sleeping giant who may be able to make some noise in the years to come. This is one gamble that won’t disappoint.

Nathan Diaz: Buy! Buy! Buy!

This $6.00 stock could be sold for $20.00 before 2012 is over. All the marks on the street are selling because the Stockton native lost two of his last three fights and some are convinced that he won’t ever be able to reach that next level. Diaz put on a fantastic fireworks display against “The Fireball Kid” Saturday night, which leads me to believe he’s determined to make the necessary changes to become an elite fighter. He’s got the right coach and the right game plan. There is bank to be made in the 209.

“The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi: Sell it like a dog with fleas.

You can’t right the sinking ship that is Takanori Gomi. The ill-fated JMMA star is one lucky punch away from going 0-4 inside the Octagon. The sport kept evolving and Gomi did not, which proves that this is the mangiest, ugliest dog on the market today. It’s so bad that the balance sheet can only be handled with a scooper and a plastic bag.

Heavyweights not named JDS, Velasquez, Overeem, Lesnar, Barnett or Mir (or Browne): Sell, Sell, Sell

Lack of cardio, or any real skills for that matter, left a bad taste in my mouth after watching yet another performance by the Spare Tires. I’ve had it! From here on out I command you to treat heavyweights like the ex-girlfriend who dumped you and upgraded to a guy who owns a Lexus and has a time share in Bora Bora. You should diversify your portfolio in order to maximize your net gains, but that doesn’t mean you have to put an egg in every basket.

Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson: Buy

It’s not often we see a TUF winner look impressive in victory. Ferguson has made significant progress in the standup department and appears to be on the right track. It will be interesting to see who the UFC pairs him up with next, following his jaw-breaking TKO win over Aaron Riley. Will Ferguson stay at lightweight or jump back up to 170? Either way, I’m more than happy to get in now while he’s still a Penny Stock. You’d be wise to do the same so we can all enjoy the fruits of his labor for years to come.

Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson: Why Jon Jones Is Not Just Hype

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Jon Jones ever since his first main-card bout in the UFC against Stephan Bonnar. At UFC 94, Bonnar was taking on a 21-year-old kid in just his eighth professional fight.Over the course of 15 minutes, it was…

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Jon Jones ever since his first main-card bout in the UFC against Stephan Bonnar. At UFC 94, Bonnar was taking on a 21-year-old kid in just his eighth professional fight.

Over the course of 15 minutes, it was easy to see that “The American Psycho” was completely outclassed by Jones. “Bones” manhandled Bonnar, suplexing him, hitting him with unorthodox strikes and even knocking him down with a spinning elbow.

Ever since then, people had been predicting Jones to be the “next big thing” in mixed martial arts. He submitted Jake O’Brien at UFC 100 and then was set to take on Matt Hamill.

Despite the loss due to disqualification, Jones easily battered Hamill, bloodying him up before the bout was stopped.

The loss didn’t hinder Jones’ growth, as he went on to face Brandon Vera, breaking his orbital bone with an elbow and finishing “The Truth” in the first round, winning Knockout of the Night honors.

His next bout with Vladimir Matyushenko is a similar story. “The Janitor” was put on his back and finished in the first round via Jones’ elbow strikes.

Ryan Bader was next in line for Jones. Jones controlled the pace in the first round, proving to be the superior wrestler before putting Bader on his back in the second round, submitting him with a guillotine choke and taking home another bonus for Submission of the Night.

With Rashad Evans getting injured, Jones was next in line to face Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Jones’ critics claimed that Jones had never been tested by a fighter of Rua’s level. Jones utilized his superior reach and wrestling ability to beat up the UFC light heavyweight champion on the feet and on the ground before finishing him in the third round. Jones looked untouchable.

Despite running through every opponent thrown his way, critics still claimed that Jones had never been hit and that “Rampage” Jackson would finally be the one to test his chin.

Unfortunately for “Rampage,” he never really had much of a chance. “Bones” kept Jackson at bay with his long legs and 84.5-inch reach. Whenever a clinch ensued, “Rampage” was never able to land much, getting out-struck 61 to 16 in significant strikes over the course of the bout according to FightMetric.

While “Rampage” has great boxing, Jones showed that he is the much more complete fighter, picking apart the veteran with unpredictable strikes and making him afraid of throwing leg kicks by threatening with takedowns. When Jones was able to get the fight to the ground, he held a distinct grappling advantage, easily advancing position and mounting Jackson.

Jones has lived up to the hype at this point and his talent can’t be denied. He has simply outclassed every opponent he’s ever faced and has finished all but two of his opponents. To beat the best of a division, like Georges St. Pierre has done, is impressive enough, but to effortlessly finish them is entirely different.

Watching Jones fight, he appears as though he can end the bout whenever he pleases. He keeps completely calm, showing excellent conditioning, patiently waiting for his opportunity to finish the fight. He manages to fight in an intelligent way by not overexposing himself or being reckless, but is so talented that he still finds ways to stop his opponents.

With the run Jon Jones has had, coupled with his ability to keep improving consistently, there’s no reason to believe that he can’t be the best light heavyweight in mixed martial arts history. A fighter cannot be as dominant as Jones in 15 straight fights without being extremely talented. Claiming that he is “all hype” may have made sense at one point, but those days are long gone.

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UFC 135 Results: Storybook Ending for Matt Hughes’ Career Isn’t in the Cards

Matt Hughes is arguably one of the biggest starts to ever grace the UFC’s cage, and the explosion of MMA in the USA has a lot to do with what Hughes did throughout his career. After being inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2010, the two-time wel…

Matt Hughes is arguably one of the biggest starts to ever grace the UFC’s cage, and the explosion of MMA in the USA has a lot to do with what Hughes did throughout his career.

After being inducted to the UFC Hall of Fame in 2010, the two-time welterweight champion is second all time with 25 fights, and first in UFC history with 18 wins.

While he was one of the most dominant fighters the sport has ever seen, there hasn’t been much left in the tank over the last few years, and the popular consensus for the 37-year-old is that he will hang it up after his latest loss at UFC 135.

UFC president Dana White told MMAjunkie.com about the future of Hughes in the octagon of the UFC:

I think he’s going to retire. I just don’t think Hughes wants to say the word ‘retire.’ There was a lot of talk that this was the last fight on his contract. I don’t know if that’s true or not because he’s a guy I’ve never worried about last fights or whatever. He’s going to fly out to Vegas in the next month or so and sit down and talk, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to hang it up – without saying ‘retire’. I’m almost 100 percent positive he’s going to retire. I don’t think he’s going to do anything else.

There hasn’t been a big star in the UFC that hasn’t faced off with Hughes as a measuring stick, and most didn’t pass the test.

One of the few men that actually beat Hughes in the prime of his career was Georges St. Pierre, but Hughes also boasts the fact that he was one of the only fighters to hand GSP a loss earlier in their careers.

While all of the UFC publicity is good for Hughes ego, he has found God and loves his wife, and it looks like the right time to pack up his gear and walk away from the bright lights of MMA fighting.

Check back for more on the UFC as it comes, and check out Bleacher Report’s Mixed Martial Arts Page to get your fill of MMA. For more MMA talk, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics you just can’t miss.

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What We Learned From Steven Seagal at UFC 135

Well, Steven Seagal made it out to the festivities Saturday night in Denver and it’s beginning to seem like either he’s some kind of mixed martial arts guru or he’s a senile old man who is way out of touch with reality. My bet’s on the latter.

Our friends Karyn Bryant from MMA H.E.A.T. and Ariel Helwani from MMAFighting caught up with Sensei Seagal before and after the event, respectively, and let’s just say old cockpuncher had a few yarns to spin.

Check out the videos and the bullet points of the world according to The Glimmer Man after the jump.


(Don’t look into his eyes. He’ll hypnotize you like he did the Black House guys.)

Well, Steven Seagal made it out to the festivities Saturday night in Denver and it’s beginning to seem like either he’s some kind of mixed martial arts guru or he’s a senile old man who is way out of touch with reality. My bet’s on the latter.

Our friends Karyn Bryant from MMA H.E.A.T. and Ariel Helwani from MMAFighting caught up with Sensei Seagal before and after the event, respectively, and let’s just say old cockpuncher had a few yarns to spin.

Check out the videos and the bullet points of the world according to The Glimmer Man:


(Video courtesy of YouTube/MMAHeat)

• Seagal counts Jones as a friend and refers to him as “Mr. Jon”

• He claimed that he was going to have some words of advice for Jones in his dressing room prior to the bout, but according to Jones at the post-fight presser, he turned down the offer

• He refers to Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva as his “people” and his “sons” and “children”

• He said that Jones might use the front kick he taught Anderson and Lyoto, but later said he didn’t do it right because he hasn’t learned the deadly move yet

• He predicted that the fight would be decided on the ground by Jones by elbows

• He says Anderson wants to be a cop when he retires and that he may do so with him in Arizona

(Video courtesy of YouTube/ArielHelwani)

• According to a Tweet by Ariel Saturday night, Seagal told his cameraman what angle to shoot him at

• In spite of the fact that he said earlier that Jones’ elbo

Jon Jones vs. Rampage Jackson: Rampage Out-Classed at UFC 135

It has been nine fights and nine dominant performances for Jon Jones since debuting in the UFC back at UFC 87 against Andre Gusmao.His latest win was his first defense of his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.While Jo…

It has been nine fights and nine dominant performances for Jon Jones since debuting in the UFC back at UFC 87 against Andre Gusmao.

His latest win was his first defense of his UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson.

While Jones was climbing the ranks of the light heavyweight division, his critics were constantly coming up with reasons as to why “Bones” was soon to fall. People claimed he hadn’t been tested, he hadn’t taken a punch, and his stamina was questionable.

Even after winning the belt against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, critics claimed that “Shogun” was coming off of a long layoff and he wasn’t completely healthy.

At this point, however, those questions are no longer valid. Jackson admitted after the fight that this is the best “Rampage” ever. He trained hard and had no excuses—Jones is just the superior fighter.

It’s frightening to see the way in which Jackson was dominated, considering he had spent nearly a decade fighting before “Bones” made his debut in mixed martial arts in 2008.

There are certainly things to critique regarding Jackson’s performance. He abandoned his leg kicks—the only thing that seemed to be effective against Jones—and never pressed the action as he claimed he was going to do before the fight. Instead, he was content to stand back and let Jones pick him apart.

Still, this can be explained by Jackson’s fear of being taken down due to Jones’ amazing wrestling ability and Jones’ 84.5-inch reach.

“Rampage,” along with several other fighters who have been defeated by Jones, mentioned his difficulty in dealing with the severe reach disadvantage.

While “Rampage” could have done a few things differently, it’s hard to argue that the outcome would have been altered. Jones was clearly the superior striker, out-landing his opponent 61 to 16 in significant strikes, according to FightMetric.

He also was able to take Jackson down and mount him effortlessly, showing his clear dominance in the grappling department as well.

The way in which the fight ended—a rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round—was a fitting way to display Jones’ well-rounded talents. Even late into the fight, he seemed completely relaxed, dispelling any belief that his stamina should be questioned.

While Jones’ career is still blossoming at just 24 years old, he already has made his claim as one of the best mixed martial artists on the planet.

In addition, he has the potential to be one of the greatest ever, especially if he continues to improve at his current rate.

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UFC: Tim Boetsch’s Move to 185 Pounds Is a Fresh Start to Career

After his second win as a middleweight at UFC 135 on Saturday, Tim Boetsch told reporter Ariel Helwani, “I have certainly not tapped my full potential here. I’m still learning.”While Boetsch said his first cut down to the new weight w…

After his second win as a middleweight at UFC 135 on Saturday, Tim Boetsch told reporter Ariel Helwani, “I have certainly not tapped my full potential here. I’m still learning.”

While Boetsch said his first cut down to the new weight was easy, this one was harder for him.

“The lungs are definitely hurting,” Boetsch told Helwani, when asked about being a bit gassed in the third round of his fight.

Boetsch still looked pretty good, despite his difficult cut. When combined with the fact that his fight was in Colorado’s higher elevation, Boetsch actually looked better-conditioned than a lot of fighters on Saturday’s card.

Boetsch showed everyone what a strong middleweight he is, when he performed a huge hip toss on opponent Nick Ring.

Boetsch took Ring completely off the ground, and managed to land on top of him in side control.

Once in side control, Boetsch managed to get Ring into a crucifix, but the round ended before Boetsch could do much with his advantageous position.

“I just want to continue getting better as a fighter,” Boetsch told Helwani, when asked what he wanted to do next at middle weight.

Boetsch also claimed he is “looking to put a run together” at his new weight class.

After his performance against Ring, Boetsch might be featured on the main card for his next fight.

While Boetsch hasn’t faced any stiff competition at the new weight class, he is a new talent that fight fans should pay attention to at welterweight.

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