Now entering November, the UFC will be making their first appearance in the U.K. this year with UFC 138.The card will feature the first non-title fight five-round affair, between Mark Munoz and the hard-headed Chris Leben.Leben is coming off of a huge …
Now entering November, the UFC will be making their first appearance in the U.K. this year with UFC 138.
The card will feature the first non-title fight five-round affair, between Mark Munoz and the hard-headed Chris Leben.
Leben is coming off of a huge knockout victory over MMA legend Wanderlei Silva at UFC 132 in July, while Munoz is coming off a big win over former top middleweight contender, and grappling ace Demian Maia.
Both fighters will bring it for the U.K. fans on what is one of the less stellar cards of the year which many have already written off as one of the most forgettable cards in UFC history.
Of course, however, until the event is completed, it is only a prediction.
Also on the card is a clash between top bantamweights Brad Pickett and Renan Barao in what could end up giving Munoz and Leben a run for their money when it comes to the “Fight of the Night” bonus.
UFC 138 will also feature the return of Thiago Alves, who at UFC 130, lost to underdog Rick Story and will now face yet another underdog—UFC newcomer Papy Abedi.
The card will be free on Spike here in the United States and will broadcast the entire undercard for free on Facebook.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report for results and reaction to UFC 138’s weigh-ins with Antwyn Jackson and Sal DeRose.
“One country to rule them all, One country to find them, One country to bring them all and in the darkness bind them!”The UFC has made a point of becoming a multinational organization and the United Kingdom’s UFC 138 is just one step towards that goal….
“One country to rule them all, One country to find them, One country to bring them all and in the darkness bind them!”
The UFC has made a point of becoming a multinational organization and the United Kingdom’s UFC 138 is just one step towards that goal.
However, some foreign nations that the UFC has frequented were more important than others in the grand scheme of things, and one was more important than all of them!
Which foreign country was the most important? Does the UK top the list due to its fueling of the UFC’s global expansion. What about Canada’s love of the UFC? Does that make them the most important country? Or does Japan take the number one slot due to essentially creating MMA with pancrase and shooto?
The most important one may surprise you. What is it? Read and find out!
Chris Leben is one of the more well-known fighters in the UFC. The recognizable red hair coupled with the aggressive, swing-for-the-fences style have made him a fan favorite since his days on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.On Saturday, Leben …
Chris Leben is one of the more well-known fighters in the UFC. The recognizable red hair coupled with the aggressive, swing-for-the-fences style have made him a fan favorite since his days on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter.
On Saturday, Leben will be looking to make his name bigger at the expense of Mark Munoz. The two are set to square off in the main event of UFC 138.
Leben currently resides in the top-10 middleweight list for any MMA fan, but would a win over Munoz put Chris “in the mix”?
Looking at Leben’s past four fights, you can see that he sits on an impressive 3-1 record. Even more impressive is that his fight against Yoshihiro Akiyama was only two weeks removed from his bout against Aaron Simpson.
For his efforts Leben received a Knockout of the Night and Fight of the Night awards between the two fights. He also earned a shot at rising star Brian Stann.
Stann demolished Leben in their bout and many were left wondering where this loss left “the Crippler.” When news broke that Leben was sick, some fans believed they had found their reasoning behind his lethargic performance.
Leben rebounded from his loss by knocking Wanderlei Silva out in just 27 seconds.
I’m going to discredit the Silva win by believing Wanderlei has no chin left. Whether it was an off night or he simply “got caught,” Wanderlei looked nothing like “the Axe Murderer” fans have come to love.
If Leben can pull off an impressive victory against Munoz, it will no doubt launch him into the top-five middleweights. However, he shouldn’t be in line to receive a title shot, especially given how he handled Anderson Silva in their first bout.
Leben needs not only an impressive win, but he will need another victory over a Vitor Belfort or a Chael Sonnen. These two men, along with a possible rematch against Stann, could provide Leben with enough momentum to get the title shot he’s been talking about.
A match against Belfort would show fans if Leben has improved his striking enough to hang with Anderson and a matchup against Sonnen would provide Leben with a victory over the consensus No. 2 middleweight in the world.
A second fight with Stann would give Leben the ability to put that god-awful performance at UFC 125 behind him. Even though Stann recently lost, he’s still regarded as a top-five middleweight.
Besides the matchups, the best reason Leben should have hope for a title shot with a win is Anderson Silva—not because Leben is better, but because Silva seems content on avoiding a rematch with Chael Sonnen.
With Sonnen out of the title picture, the door is wide open for new challengers to grab Silva’s attention. Leben could see his stock rise higher than it should simply because Silva (or at least his management) believe there aren’t a lot of title challengers out there.
He has his work cut out for him with “the Philipino Wrecking Machine” Munoz, but if he manages to escape England with a win, look for Leben to make a title run in 2012.
Thiago Alves, the former welterweight top contender, has lost three straight to some very experienced wrestlers.The “Muay Thai Wrecking Machine” is getting another chance to to fight—and this time it might be for his job.At UFC 138, Papy Abedi an…
Thiago Alves, the former welterweight top contender, has lost three straight to some very experienced wrestlers.
The “Muay Thai Wrecking Machine” is getting another chance to to fight—and this time it might be for his job.
At UFC 138, Papy Abedi and Thiago Alves will face off in what promises to be an exciting fight. This is what Thiago must do to win and return to the path toward being a top contender once again.
Main Card
Mark Munoz (-265) vs. Chris Leben (+225)
Renan Barao (-135) vs. Brad Pickett (+115) Thiago Alves (-345) vs. Papy Abedi (+285) Terry Etim (-600) vs. Edward Faaloloto (+450)
Cyrille Diabate (-375) vs. Anthony Perosh (+285)
Undercard Michihiro Omigawa (-340) vs. Jason Young (+250)
Philip De Fries (-135) vs. Rob Broughton (+100)
Che Mills (-225) vs. Chris Cope (+175)
Chris Cariaso (-175) vs. Vaughan Lee (+145)
Justin Edwards (-125) vs. John Macguire (-105)
The Main Event: Mark Munoz makes sense here as a pretty decent favorite; he has the kind of solid wrestling background that could easily grind out a decision over Leben, plus enough power in his hands to finish the fight, granted Leben shows up sick that night. Then again, it’s tough to bet against someone like “The Crippler,” who shows flashes of brilliance in each fight and absorbs punches like Turok absorbs power cores. And considering the fact that Demian Maia was able to rock Munoz on a couple of occasions, someone with Leben’s power could end this one quickly. But our gut says go with Munoz, who is too smart to try and stand with Leben for the entirety of the fight.
The Good Dogs: Though Renan Barao’s record is pretty immaculate, he hasn’t fought anyone near the caliber of Brad Pickett, who’s record includes wins over Ivan Menjivar and former bantamweight title challenger Demetrious Johnson. On the other hand, Pickett hasn’t fought in over a year, so your confidence in him really comes down to your belief in ring rust. But since Chael Sonnen recently proved that ring rust doesn’t exist, a bet on Pickett seems fair. Speaking of ring rust, isn’t it crazy that Terry Etim has been out for over a year with a broken rib? Good to see him back, because we had nearly forgotten how entertaining he is.
Another good dog on this card is that of Jason Young, who you may remember as the man who gave rising prospect Dustin Poirier all he could handle back at UFC 131. And although Michihiro Omigawa got completely screwed by the judges in his last fight with Darren Elkins, (at the same event, coincidentally) Young has the speed and boxing skills to put him in all kinds of trouble, and with those odds you stand to make a pretty penny when he does.
The Easy Bet: Thiago Alves. He’s fighting a UFC newbie in Papy Abedi, and for once it is an opponent who shouldn’t try, or be able to take him down for all three rounds. Expect fireworks in this one, with Alves getting the better of the exchanges en route to a second round stoppage.
Official CagePotato Parlay: Munoz + Alves + Young with a side of Philip De Fries.
Filed under: UFC, NewsIt’s been over a year since the UFC has staged a show in the UK. As is customary when the promotion parks the octagon on British land, fans bought tickets in droves. According to managing director of international development for …
It’s been over a year since the UFC has staged a show in the UK. As is customary when the promotion parks the octagon on British land, fans bought tickets in droves. According to managing director of international development for the UFC Marshall Zelaznik, the organization has already been informed that UFC 138 will break the all-time gate record for the LG Arena in Birmingham on Saturday night.
Still, there have been some complaints about the card. There are no title matches, no No. 1 contender matches, and no former champions spotlighted.
All main-event participants Chris Leben and Mark Munoz can do about that is put on a show of their own, and at Thursday press conference, both agreed that anyone watching won’t be disappointed.
“You guys have a main event you’re not going to have to worry about,” said Leben, who is known for his always aggressive, often reckless style. “Sometimes we put these main events together because they’re names, and it sucks. We’re going to get in there and we’re going to do it. I promise you a great show.”
Munoz echoed those thoughts.
“He throws bombs, and I throw bombs, so bombs away,” he said.
Both Munoz (11-2) and Leben (22-7) have performed well over the last two years. Munoz has captured six of his last seven bouts, most recently defeating Demian Maia in June. And Leben, a winner of four of his last five, is coming off a 27-second knockout of Wanderlei Silva.
Leben said that because the two enter the fight with so much recent success, the winner deserves to be the No. 1 contender. That’s not likely, especially with Chael Sonnen campaigning for a rematch with Anderson Silva. But Leben said for the sake of the fans, he’s just the type of fighter that should be fighting for the belt.
“I’ve been watching a lot of fights lately where the champs, they seem to …maybe it’s just me, but it seems like they’re fighting not to lose,” he said. “For myself, I’d quit if that’s what I start doing. I fight to win, I fight to finish my opponent. I don’t fight to not lose. And that’s what you’re going to see.”
Munoz has had the experience of facing southpaws before, but he probably hasn’t faced anyone with the punching power and fearlessness of Leben. Munoz said he’s blessed to have lots of lefties in his camp, and he’s also studied a lot of tape in preparation of the fight. Everything to be ready. Everything to put on a good show.
“We want to be the best, and I definitely want to be the best,” Munoz said. “I’m getting closer and closer, and this is one of the steps to get there, so I’m definitely going to take it.”
Now entering November, the UFC will be making their first appearance in the U.K. this year with UFC 138.
It’s been over a year since the