UFC 139 is almost here everyone, and I can’t wait to see Cung Le make his UFC debut against Wanderlei Silva! No disrespect to the Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua Main Event (a fight I still want to see), but I’ve been waiting for years to see …
UFC 139 is almost here everyone, and I can’t wait to see Cung Le make his UFC debut against Wanderlei Silva!
No disrespect to the Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua Main Event (a fight I still want to see), but I’ve been waiting for years to see Le hit the UFC, and so has Dana White as he reveals in this video taken back in 2008.
He’s the one guy in the Middleweight Division that I believe can take that belt away from Anderson Silva, however, that is a discussion for a different time and place.
Today we will just focus on his upcoming fight and break down five keys to his showdown with The Axe Murderer and analyze what each fighter must do to get their arm raised.
For Chris Weidman, life is all about hard work and striving to be the best in the world. Weidman (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gets another opportunity to achieve that goal this Saturday at UFC 139 at the HP Pavilion, as he will be facing Tom Lawlor (7-3 MMA…
For Chris Weidman, life is all about hard work and striving to be the best in the world. Weidman (6-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) gets another opportunity to achieve that goal this Saturday at UFC 139 at the HP Pavilion, as he will be facing Tom Lawlor (7-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC). This fight was supposed to be aired on Spike TV, but was recently put onto the Facebook portion of the card. Weidman was pretty bummed about the change.
“It’s a bummer, but you know it doesn’t make the fight any different to me,” Weidman told me. “I gotta get in there and fight. But yea, it definitely sucks for people who want to watch me.”
More people watch the fights on Spike than on Facebook, and most people would feel like it’s a lost opportunity, but Weidman has a feeling this will somehow end up on pay-per-view.
“Yea, a little bit, but I have a good feeling it’s going to end up on pay-per-view somehow. So, I’m trying to keep my head surrounded with the positive and just thinking to put on a great fight and better than Spike, it’s pay-per-view.”
Weidman is a prospect that people are really high on ever since his debut in the UFC in March, when he took a fight on two weeks notice and defeated Alessio Sakara. He followed that win with a submission of the night victory over Jesse Bongfeldt in June. How has Weidman dealt with his new found popularity?
“I think just thinking about it right now, not like I dwell on it. I think one of the biggest things is that people don’t see I’m doing this for no reason anymore, family, friends, whoever. Because when you’re in smaller promotions and you’re not making any money, it’s kind of like an aspiring rapper or something. What are the chances of making it to the top? When you get the chance to prove yourself and you do it, now your not trying to justify why you’re actually doing this. Putting your family through some hardships and not having money. I have my masters degree (from Hofstra), I can go out and get a job. So, why would I do that? You know, my hard work is paying off. It’s a good feeling.”
Weidman has been training with Ray Longo and Matt Serra since he started in MMA in 2009. He is beyond grateful for everything they have taught him inside and outside of the cage.
“They help a lot. I’m with Ray Longo pretty much everyday. I’m at his gym, working with him on standup, on cardio, strength, everything. He pretty much is my go-to-guy for everything, all my questions. He not only helps me out with my fighting, which is usually more important than everything else, but he’s there, almost as a psychologist. We’re always talking, we’re close and for like mental confidence and stuff like that, he’s huge. He’s really good with that. So, he’s a big help and Matt is awesome. A bolt of energy, he’s confident, he’s been to the top, he’s been to where I want to head. He helps me a lot by putting me in the right direction and getting me to where he was already once at.”
Lawlor has been saying to various media outlets that he will use experience to beat Weidman this Saturday. Weidman says that Lawlor doesn’t have his experience.
“They can say whatever they want. It doesn’t really bother me. As far as experience goes, look at Alessio Sakara. He had plenty more experience than me. He was in the UFC forever. I didn’t let that get to me. Tom Lawlor, he hasn’t been there as close to as long. I won’t let that get to me. The way I look at it is, I ‘ve been wrestling my entire life. I’ve faced top notch competition for a very, very long time. Tom Lawlor doesn’t have that experience. So, I’ll use the mental side of being in those wars with wrestling, just as effective as I would have MMA.”
You can listen to the entire interview with Chris Weidman here.
(“… and I paid a three-year old $14 million for this work of art.”)
In this edition of Dana’s video blog, we take a behind the scenes look at the inaugural UFC on Fox show.
Man, it must get old for Dana to meet fans every day who beg him for free tickets. Seriously, do people have no couth? And what’s up with the fan that suggests Cain looks like Shrek and should call himself “The Shrexican?” What’s wrong with people?
Check out the vid after the jump.
(“… and I paid a three-year old $14 million for this work of art.”)
In this edition of Dana’s video blog, we take a behind the scenes look at the inaugural UFC on Fox show.
Man, it must get old for Dana to meet fans every day who beg him for free tickets. Seriously, do people have no couth? And what’s up with the fan that suggests Cain looks like Shrek and should call himself “The Shrexican?” What’s wrong with people?
(Video courtesy of YouTube/UFC)
It’s crazy that a promotion that was on the brink of bankruptcy six years ago is now so popular that a cancer patient’s dying “Make a Wish” request is to meet its president. How many requests do you think David Stern or Roger Goodell get? That says something about how accessible he is to the fans.
How hilarious is Bruce Buffer pushing his “The Ring” video on anyone who will listen? We get the feeling he might have some other videos and photos on his phone that he *casually* shows people. Knowamsayin’ ?
Perhaps the most interesting moment comes after the Velasquez-dos Santos fight when Cain’s boxing coach gives him shit for waiting for dos Santos to attack rather than going after him offensively. The dude doesn’t mince words and Cain takes full responsibility for the error in the post-fight presser.
When fighting Urijah Faber, there’s a pretty good chance the opponent is an afterthought, since Faber is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and the fans assume he will roll to victory.
Brian Bowles (10-1, 2-0 UFC) is under that assumption a…
When fighting Urijah Faber, there’s a pretty good chance the opponent is an afterthought, since Faber is one of the most popular fighters in the sport, and the fans assume he will roll to victory.
Brian Bowles (10-1, 2-0 UFC) is under that assumption as well, as the former WEC Bantamweight Champion will square off with Faber (25-5 MMA, 1-1 UFC), the former WEC Featherweight Champion, at UFC 139 this Saturday at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California on pay per view starting at 9 PM ET/6 PM PT.
Bowles and Faber each fought last at UFC 132, in which Bowles defeated Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decision, and Faber lost via unanimous decision to bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz.
A lot of people thought a good performance by Bowles would have netted him the next shot against Cruz, but after a lackluster win against Mizugaki, Demetrious Johnson ended up getting the next shot.
Bowles understood why he didn’t get the shot after the Mizugaki fight.
“I wasn’t able to finish,” Bowles told me. “I wasn’t very aggressive; he’s a tough guy.
“I mean, he has that kind of style. He’s not easy to finish, and he’s a tough opponent. We both went in there, and if either one of us had been more aggressive, the fight would have been a lot more exciting,” he said.
“I think he was waiting for me to be a little more aggressive and I was kinda waiting for him to be more aggressive,” Bowles continued. “We ended up just standing there looking at each other a lot more than my fights usually are.”
The Bowles-Mizugaki fight was on the undercard of UFC 132, so Bowles was able to take in the Cruz-Faber main event that evening and wasn’t shocked by the champion’s performance against Faber.
“Typical Cruz, you know.” Bowles said. “He does what he does. Faber did a pretty good job getting his hands on him and not getting too frustrated at what he does. Every time you watch the champion fight, you learn a little bit from that. I took a little bit away from that.”
With the title loss, Faber is now 4-4 in his last eight fights, but Bowles thinks Faber still has that mystique about him.
“Once you built something like that, it takes a lot for it to go away. I don’t think he’s lost it yet,” Bowles said. “Just because you lose a fight or two here and there? He’s not out there getting knocked out. He’s not like at the end of his career, he needs to hang it up or he’s just hanging onto it because he can’t let it go.
“He’s still a No. 1-guy contender. He could be champ at any moment,” he said.
As soon as this fight was announced, a lot of people were under the assumption that it would determine the No. 1 contender for the bantamweight title, and Bowles is under that assumption as well.
“Yea, I think (UFC president) Dana (White) announced that the winner between me and him should be fighting Cruz,” Bowles said. “I know they never set anything in stone, but its been said. But that’s what I’m expecting from it.”
Since Faber-Cruz II took place and the fight with Bowles was announced, a lot of people think that Faber will roll past Bowles and secure the rubber match.
Bowles has other plans in mind and relishes the role of the underdog.
“You know, I’m kinda used to that. I’ve been a underdog in almost every fight,” Bowles said. “When I fought Miguel (Torres), underdog; ever since I’ve come into the sport, its been the underdog for me. I kind of feed off that.
“I think true hardcore fans, the other fighters know he’s not gonna walk through me. I’ve heard a lot of people say they think I’m going to beat him.
“It’s mainly the people, average Joes out there. He’s the more popular guy. That’s what they go on. They think it’s a popularity contest and not a fight. That’s what they’re going by. Not going by fighting skills,” Bowles said.
“I’m a quiet guy. He’s out there; his face is out there. He’s more popular, so they think he’s gonna win,” he said.
You can listen to the entire interview with Brian Bowles here.
Filed under: UFC, NewsOn November 3, 2001, the fans at the Tokyo Dome were treated to a great fight between Dan Henderson and Murilo “Ninja” Rua at Pride 17. A decade later, Henderson will take on Ninja’s little brother Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139…
On November 3, 2001, the fans at the Tokyo Dome were treated to a great fight between Dan Henderson and Murilo “Ninja” Rua at Pride 17. A decade later, Henderson will take on Ninja’s little brother Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 139.
And just because it’s been 10 full years since the Henderson-Rua fight, that doesn’t mean Shogun has forgotten. In fact, Shogun said on Wednesday that he’s been motivated during his preparation for the fight with Henderson to avenge his big brother’s split decision loss to Henderson from the Pride days.
And Rua said that watching and re-watching that fight, and discussing the fight with his brother, has helped him to formulate his game plan for his own bout with Henderson.
“Certainly that was a great fight,” Shogun said. “I watched that fight between my brother and Henderson a number of times. It was a very competitive fight. My brother is one of the people who helped me a lot with my strategy for Dan. I hope to impose my game plan, knowing it’s going to be a tough fight with a great fighter. That was a great fight and I have good memories of it.”
Henderson has even better memories, because he won — but only after a brutal battle, and only by split decision. Henderson said he expects a similarly difficult time fighting against the younger Rua.
“It was a tough fight,” Henderson said. “It was a war and I would expect the same from his brother.”
If the Henderson-Shogun fight is as good as the Henderson-Ninja fight, the fans will be the winners.
Fresh off the UFC’s big network debut on FOX, the world’s premier MMA organization is back to doing what it knows best: pay-per-views.
On paper, UFC 139 looks like one of the better cards in recent months, but there’s no shortage of fighters who need a win in a bad, bad way. Who are they, what are their chances, and what’s likely to become of them if they can’t pull out a W in San Jose on Saturday night? For answers, we turn to the Cut List.
Wanderlei Silva (33-11-1 1 NC, 3-6 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Cung Le Why he’s in danger: UFC president Dana White has made it clear that he thinks Silva would be better off in retirement, and, you have to admit, the boss makes a compelling case. Silva’s 35 (but an old 35, in fighting years), he’s lost six of his last eight (and been knocked out in four of those six), and he really has nothing left to prove in this sport. What, is he going to become UFC middleweight champion? Not unless about 10 other UFC 185ers suddenly decide to go live in a monastery and live quiet, non-violent lives somewhere in Belgium. As great as Silva was, and as beloved as he still is by fans, there’s no reason for him to keep getting knocked out at this stage of his life. He doesn’t need the money or the prestige, and he’s too big a name to put in against lesser competition. That puts him in a tough spot, career-wise. If he can’t beat Le and show that his fists are still full of fury and his jaw is not made of glass, it might be time for White to sit him down and give him the Chuck Liddell speech. Outlook: Grim. I’ll be honest, I don’t like his chances against Le. At least, not unless Le comes to this fight straight from a movie set. Silva still has the one-punch power, but Le has the ability to keep him at a distance and beat him up over several rounds. Once it’s over, I’d love to see Silva take his legacy and go home. He’s one of the all-time greats. There’s nothing left to prove.
Martin Kampmann (17-5, 8-4 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Rick Story Why he’s in danger: On paper, he’s one defeat away from the dreaded three-fight losing streak. In reality, he’s probably the best losing welterweight the UFC has had over the last year. His current skid started when he lost a questionable decision to Jake Shields in October of 2010. Though you could make a case that Shields deserved to win that wrestling match, it’s harder to make an argument for Diego Sanchez, who looked like he’d gotten his face stuck in a ceiling fan by the end of his three-round battle with Kampmann. I’m still not sure how Sanchez got that decision, and I suspect Kampmann is equally baffled. That was in March of this year and this is Kampmann’s first trip back into the cage since then, so it would be nice if he could get his hand raised for the first time in a year and a half. Against Rick Story, however, he faces another opponent who’s not afraid to go out there and get his wrestle on. Can Story do to him what he did to Thiago Alves? If so, then a somewhat comically unfortunate losing streak could turn into a seriously concerning one. Outlook: Optimistic. Even if Kampmann does drop a decision here, the UFC sees his talent and it isn’t going to cast him out so easily. I like his chances to stuff Story’s takedowns and force him into a kickboxing match, which Kampmann should win every time.
Jason Brilz (18-4-1, 3-3 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Ryan Bader Why he’s in danger: Brilz has also lost two straight, but like Kampmann his is a losing skid with an asterisk. It started with a controversial decision loss against Antonio Rogerio Nogueira in a bout that many thought he deserved to win, and which Dana White held up as proof that the UFC knows what it’s doing when it puts together these fight cards, so maybe we shouldn’t judge them until they’re over. Despite the L on his record, the UFC could not have been more pleased with that Fight of the Night performance from Brilz. Unfortunately, he followed it up with a quick KO loss to Vladimir Matyushenko in April, so in the span of just 20 seconds some of that good will likely evaporated. But hey, anybody can catch one on the chin, right? That doesn’t mean he’s suddenly garbage. Trouble is, Brilz is facing fellow wrestler and fellow losing streak-owner Ryan Bader. It could easily turn into a snoozer of a wrestling match, and if it does the loser might feel the brunt of the UFC’s anguish over it. Then again, it could be the kind of fight where two wrestlers end up brawling for 15 minutes, and Brilz could, even in defeat, once again be White’s hero at the post-fight presser. Outlook: Decent. Brilz is clearly a talented athlete, but he does not give one the impression that fighting is his life, probably because it isn’t. He’s got a job and a family, and this is more an interesting side gig for him. That might make the UFC reluctant to keep bringing him back if he gets knocked out here, and it also might make him less likely to get fired up about getting back on top. Matt Brown (12-10, 5-4 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Seth Baczynski Why he’s in danger: Look at his record. He pulled himself up from the brink with a decision win over John Howard, and he looked pretty good doing it, too. But that doesn’t change the fact that he’s lost three of his last four in the UFC, and most of the guys he has beaten in the Octagon have since been encouraged to seek their employment elsewhere. The win, in conjunction with his fighting style, give him a little breathing room, but not much. Baczynski’s already been cut from the UFC once, but came back and got a win in September to shore up his spot. If Brown can’t beat a guy on the cusp, the UFC might take a look at the numbers and decide it’s time to make room for some new blood at welterweight. Outlook: Pessimistic. Brown has shown flashes of real talent followed by long stretches of mediocrity. What he needs right now is consistency. What he needs is a win followed by a bunch more wins. But my guess is that whether it happens now or a year from now, the UFC will soon decide that he’s had enough chances.
Shamar Bailey (12-4, 1-1 UFC)
Who he’s facing:Danny Castillo Why he’s in danger: If your lone loss in the UFC is to Evan Dunham, you aren’t doing so badly. But if your lone win is over Ryan McGillivray, well, it kind of evens out. Bailey had a short, fairly undistinguished stay in Strikeforce and then started out hot in his run on TUF 13, but things didn’t go his way in reality TV-land. Still, he got a shot on the finale, won a decision, then lost a decision against his first real UFC opponent in Dunham. Now he faces Castillo in what could be a fight that sways the UFC one way or the other on him, and it’s a bout in which oddsmakers favor Castillo by a 3-1 margin. Outlook: Grim. If he gets beat here — and chances are he will — the UFC has no shortage of hungry young lightweights out there just itching to get his spot. He’ll need to show them something memorable, or else prove the oddsmakers wrong with a win.
For Chris Weidman, life is all about hard work and striving to be the best in the world. Weidman (6-0 
On November 3, 2001, the fans at the Tokyo Dome were treated to a great fight between 
Fresh off the UFC’s big network debut on FOX, the world’s premier