Tag: UFC 139

UFC 139 Results: Where Cung Le Went Wrong

At Sportsbook.com, Vietnamese Tae Kwon Do fighter Cung Le was favored to beat beloved legend Wanderlei “The  Axe Murderer” Silva, who many fans considered past due on retirement. Cung entered fighting’s ultimate proving ground wi…

At Sportsbook.com, Vietnamese Tae Kwon Do fighter Cung Le was favored to beat beloved legend Wanderlei “The  Axe Murderer” Silva, who many fans considered past due on retirement.

Cung entered fighting’s ultimate proving ground with an impressive record of seven exciting wins and zero losses.  

Coming off an extended layoff, Cung looked nervous during the walkout before his hometown crowd in San Jose, CA.  Though he won Fight of the Night honors for his performance, he fell to the brutal attack of The Axe Murderer’s swarming punches and knees.  

Where did Cung Le go wrong? What could Le have done differently?  

The core of Cung’s problem appeared to be his perception of his opponent and the specificity of his expectations going into the fight. He saw Wanderlei’s suspect chin as an opportunity.

Silva has lost six of his last 11 fights, four by KO. It seemed that Le envisioned highlight-reel wheel kick knockouts and was determined to make a big splash in front of his home crowd. 

Tae Kwon Do is an art whose repertoire is 80 percent kicks. Kicks are much more resource-intensive than punches.

Le claimed the center of the octagon early in the first round, stalking the former PRIDE champion around the edge of the cage, throwing one potential fight finisher after another, into each, putting all. 

When Le did stun Silva in the first, he went for a wheel kick but failed to close the deal. By the second round, he was tired and could not keep his kicks coming to hold The Axe Murderer at bay.

Le would have been better served to direct his kicks from Wanderlei’s head to his legs, thereby slowing the Brazilian’s rush, setting up the high kick and weakening Silva’s takedown defense, something Le could have leveraged in the third, had he made it.  

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UFC 139 Results: Where Does Ryan Bader Rank at Light Heavyweight?

Ryan Bader may have dominated Jason Brilz, but this doesn’t mean that Bader is a top-echelon light heavyweight.The NCAA Division-I wrestler burst onto the scene on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series where he won the light heavywei…

Ryan Bader may have dominated Jason Brilz, but this doesn’t mean that Bader is a top-echelon light heavyweight.

The NCAA Division-I wrestler burst onto the scene on the eighth season of The Ultimate Fighter reality series where he won the light heavyweight portion of the tournament. After that, he instantly became a hot prospect at light heavyweight.

But did he deserve this status at all?

Bader’s victories in the UFC were over Vinny Magalhaes, Carmelo Marrero, Eric Schafer, Keith Jardine and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (also known as Lil’ Nog). Four of those men departed from the UFC at some point after losing to Bader (although Schafer would eventually return).

After beating gatekeepers and an overrated “legend” in Rogerio Noguiera, there was talk of Bader being the next big thing at light heavyweight.

He was therefore paired up with the other next big thing, Jon Jones.

Jones made short work of Bader and got the MMA world questioning just how good he was.

If Jones got the world asking about Bader’s questioning abilities, Tito Ortiz confirmed these notions by stumbling Bader with a short right hand and then choking him out.

After this fight, Bader was considered a glorified can.

Fortunately for him, he was given a chance at redemption against Jason Brilz. Bader was simply too much for Brilz and he won by TKO.

Bader was seemingly “back.”

But does this mean that Bader is one of the best in the division?

Hardly. Bader has yet to beat anyone of real talent. Until then, he’s just an average fighter at light heavyweight.

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UFC 139 Results: 4 Things We Learned About Urijah Faber

Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber is the most notable fighter in the lighter weight classes, and some valuable lessons were learned about him when he outclassed former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles.Did Faber show improved athletic…

Former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber is the most notable fighter in the lighter weight classes, and some valuable lessons were learned about him when he outclassed former WEC bantamweight champion Brian Bowles.

Did Faber show improved athleticism? Better technique? A better haircut? Read and find out!

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UFC 139 Results: Dan Henderson Is Still No Match for Anderson Silva or Jon Jones

Dan Henderson’s amazing and epic battle with Shogun Rua was the type of fight that makes MMA the hottest sport in the world right now.Two real warriors laid it all on the line and Henderson was justifiably awarded the decision. Let us not confuse an ex…

Dan Henderson‘s amazing and epic battle with Shogun Rua was the type of fight that makes MMA the hottest sport in the world right now.

Two real warriors laid it all on the line and Henderson was justifiably awarded the decision. Let us not confuse an exciting fighter with a truly elite and masterfully skilled one.

Both Jon Jones at light heavyweight and Anderson Silva at middleweight represent elite level fighters that will avoid the manic right hands from Hendo and defeat him.

In Jones’ case, his reach advantage, equal striking proficiency and awesome grappling skill will expose Hendo, who is not a true light heavyweight. He is likely more comfortable there at 39 years of age, but he will not be able to pressure and overpower Jones.

That fight will likely result in a lopsided decision or a late TKO in favor of Jon Jones.

In the case of Silva, this is perhaps Hendo’s best chance. Silva is advanced in age. He is likely to have just battled Chael Sonnen in a intense and emotional rematch. If the Spider is victorious in that bout, as I expect he will be, many will question how much he has left?

I believe Henderson is the type of fighter that is custom made for Silva. Hard charging opponents with one dimensional attack styles, no matter how potent, will not fair well against the Spider.

He has too many ways to beat you. Henderson’s chin is so good that a KO isn’t likely, but a lopsided decision is more feasible. 

I applaud Hendo’s great performance, but Bones and the Spider are beyond the reach of his destructive right hand.

 

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UFC 139 Results: Miguel Torres Is Now a Top 5 Bantamweight

It has been a topsy-turvy past few years for former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, but his victory over Nick Pace last night at UFC 139 may have finally put his career back on track. It was only just over two years ago when Torres was once …

It has been a topsy-turvy past few years for former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres, but his victory over Nick Pace last night at UFC 139 may have finally put his career back on track.

It was only just over two years ago when Torres was once considered not only the unquestioned best 135-pound fighter in the world, but was also a consensus top five pound-for-pound fighter.

Torres rode an unbelievable, Fedor Emelianenko-like 17-fight winning streak into his Aug. 2009 battle against Brian Bowles at WEC 42. But it was on that night that the his historic run came to an end.

One punch from Bowles sent Torres tumbling back into reality as he was knocked out by the challenger in one of the most shocking losses of the year.

Torres would go on to lose his next fight to Joseph Benavidez, submitting to a guillotine choke at WEC 47. The tumble down the rankings had officially begun.

Though he got back in the win column in back-to-back fights against Charlie Valencia and Antonio Banuelos in his UFC debut, the level of competition was just not as good as what he had been competing against in his losses. But even worse, he did not look like the dominant former champion that we remembered from years past.

But last night at UFC 139, the real Miguel Torres was back. He showed some of the precision on the feet and incredible jiu-jitsu that helped make him one of the best in the world. Not only that, but he did it against an opponent who essentially opted not to cut weight and weighed in six pounds over the 135-pound limit.

He still has a fight or two to go before he can realistically be considered for a shot at the UFC bantamweight title, but a top-five ranking is well within reason.

The crazy thing about Miguel Torres is that despite competing in his 43rd professional MMA fight last night, the best may still be best to come. Just 30-years-old, he is still learning and improving his game every day.

If he is able to regain the confidence he once had, Dominick Cruz may have something to worry about at 135. 

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UFC 139 Results: Would Dan Henderson Beat Anderson Silva in a Rematch?

There are three things you need to make life hard for Anderson Silva: an adamantine chin, suffocating wrestling and uncompromising submission defense.  Of course, having the apocalyptic punching power of Dan Henderson also helps.   The best p…

There are three things you need to make life hard for Anderson Silva: an adamantine chin, suffocating wrestling and uncompromising submission defense.  Of course, having the apocalyptic punching power of Dan Henderson also helps.  

The best place to beat Silva is on the ground. The problem is doing it quickly. 

In a fight against Anderson Silva, the clock is not your friend. Be it on his feet, with his flawless counter-punching or off his back, utilizing long-limbed submissions, Anderson is the type of fighter to capitalize on his opponents’ mistakes. 

They are bound to make them, and so, a fighter’s only bet is to finish the fight early. That no one has ever done this is no reason for Dan Henderson to try.

Since his always-appreciated destruction of Michael Bisping, Henderson added knockouts of Fedor Emelianenko, Rafael Cavalcante and Renalto Sobral to his resume.

While these fighters are clearly not in the same league as Silva’s, does anyone think, Emelianenko notwithstanding, they were in Henderson’s?

Henderson, a two-time Olympian, has some of the best wrestling in MMA. Henderson’s first round with Silva at UFC 82 had everyone thinking that the Brazilian’s reign was ending. He dominated Silva on the ground, blocking his airways and hammerfisting him to the temple while the champion clutched Henderson like a plank from the Titanic.

Then, in the second, Silva caught Henderson with a big shot, got on top of him and finished the fight, garroting him with a rear naked choke. 

Opponents have since rocked Henderson on several occasions, but never finished him.

Henderson’s scramble with Rua, resulting briefly in Hendo locking up a true crucifix, has demonstrated his fluency with submissions and, presumably, how to defend them.  

The fact is that Anderson Silva can beat any man on any given night. There is no fighter in the world that so clearly outclasses the champion that he unseats Silva as the favorite.

Nevertheless, Hendo has all the tools he needs to bring the title to Murrieta, CA. 

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