Tag: UFC 141

UFC 141: Why There Will Never Be a Dominant UFC Heavyweight Champion

The UFC has never really had a dominant heavyweight champion and it is becoming abundantly clear that they never will. Randy Couture is probably the closest thing ever to a dominant UFC heavyweight, holding the title three diff…

The UFC has never really had a dominant heavyweight champion and it is becoming abundantly clear that they never will. 

Randy Couture is probably the closest thing ever to a dominant UFC heavyweight, holding the title three different times and defending it three times as well between 1997-2008. While Couture held the title for approximately 1,113 days during that span of 11 years (4,015 days) and 629 days consecutively, the title changed hands to seven different fighters in that time period alone.

In a time and era when the heavyweight division was the weakest in the world, a big man who was ahead of his time had a great opportunity to clear out all comers and stay fresh with two fights annually. Couture was the standout big man of that early era of MMA.

The sport has evolved since that time, and that evolution has created more and better heavyweight fighters, more and better training and in essence a parity that the division has never seen before. The division is as deep as it has ever been and with the recent announcement that the Strikeforce heavyweight division will dissolve into the UFC, the water will only get deeper.

Evolution has also created a demand for title fights and expectation of fighting three to four times in one year a la Jon Jones. That demand also minimizes the chances of a lengthy, dominant reign. Injuries, fatigue and lack of focus creep in as each training camp goes on.

The days of the dynasty team in other sports has been crushed by salary caps and collective bargaining agreements aimed at creating a level playing field. In MMA, the evolution to parity has been a much more natural thing based on growth and development of the sport.

Sure, there are still dominant champions in the welterweight, middleweight and even the light heavyweight division, but it is easier to dominate at the lighter divisions where mistakes can be overcome, grind on the body is less and in-fight comebacks are more of the norm. 

One example to explain what I mean is lightweight champion Frankie Edgar compared to former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez.

Edgar made early errors in both his title defences against Gray Maynard but the power shots Maynard landed were not enough to put the champ away. He was able to come back and hold on to his title both times. In contrast at heavyweight, Cain Velasquez made a mistake early against Junior dos Santos and due to the power of a heavyweight strike, it was all she wrote for his title reign.

Is Dos Santos, the man who looks unbeatable, going to have a dominant hold on the heavyweight gold? I don’t see it that way and believe that his title reign will also be a short one. History, evolution and parity says that the big belt will remain a hot potato in 2012.

 

Dwight Wakabayashi is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA and correspondent for MMACanada.net.

Catch him on Facebook and Twitter at wakafightermma.

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UFC News: Brock Lesnar on Hunting Charges, "I Don’t Waste Any Meat"

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar spoke with MMA Fighting’s Ben Fowlkes about pleading guilty to one count of failure to immediately affix a tag to an animal.  Lesnar said that, despite the $1,725 fine, this will not curtail his future …

Former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar spoke with MMA Fighting’s Ben Fowlkes about pleading guilty to one count of failure to immediately affix a tag to an animal.  

Lesnar said that, despite the $1,725 fine, this will not curtail his future hunting in Canada. He is quoted in the piece as saying he doesn’t waste meat.

I’m an excellent hunter. I’ve been hunting since I was five years old, and at the end of the day, for God’s sakes, I don’t waste any meat. If you ever looked at my dinner plate when I was done eating you’d know that.

The 6’3″, nearly 300-pound behemoth is referring to two charges that were dropped in this case: unlawful possession of wildlife and wastage of edible flesh.

The heavyweight title contender did not attend the hearing, instead opting to send a lawyer to the Medicine Hat, Alberta courtroom on his behalf. 

Overall, Lesnar considered the situation little more than an inconvenience.

The former two-time NCAA All-American wrestler called the charges “a whole lot to do about nothing.” He is quoted in the article as saying he didn’t believe he had done anything wrong.

“As far as I’m concerned, I didn’t disobey the law,” Lesnar said. “I guess in other people’s judgment, they saw it differently. At the end of the day, if they saw fit that I did something wrong, I’m a grown-up and I’ll take my fine and go on with my life.”

Chief Prosecutor Ramona Robins, who was assigned to the case, noted that Lesnar was “very cooperative” in the matter.  

Chad Stryker, Lesnar’s guide during the November 2010 hunting excursion, faces the same three charges the UFC heavyweight did. 

However, Robins said that Stryker could face stiffer penalties “because he benefited commercially from the hunt and as a guide from Alberta should be held to a higher standard to know and appreciate the Wildlife Act and its various regulations than his client.”

Lesnar meets former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem at UFC 141, with the winner expected to meet current UFC heavyweight title-holder Junior dos Santos.

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UFC 141: Breaking Down Alexander Gustafsson vs. Vladimir Matyushenko

UFC 141 is sure to be a great night of fights, and while the collision of titans Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem is the main attraction, there are plenty of potentially entertaining fights for fans on December 30th.Among those fights is the light hea…

UFC 141 is sure to be a great night of fights, and while the collision of titans Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem is the main attraction, there are plenty of potentially entertaining fights for fans on December 30th.

Among those fights is the light heavyweight fight between grizzled veteran Vladimir Matyushenko and promising prospect Alexander Gustafsson. At the very least, it will have the most syllables of any matchup at UFC 141.

Matyushenko comes into this fight with an impressive 4-1 streak in his last five fights (the one loss was to Jon Jones). A win for him would surely take him higher than he has ever been in the UFC, and potentially set him up with a big-name opponent.

Gustafsson, one of the most intriguing prospects in the UFC, looks to continue his dominance by improving on his 12-1 record, and move one step closer to being considered a serious contender for Jon Jones’ belt.

Much like Jones, Gustafsson brings a freakish frame to the table. Standing at 6’5″ and sporting a 76.5″ reach, it will be interesting to see how the 6’1″ Matyushenko handles Gustaffson’s length.

Here’s how Matyushenko and Gustafsson measure up:

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Lesnar Cops to Hunting Violation in Canada and is Fined $1,725 CDN, or About Three Second’s Wages

(Video courtesy of YouTube/FederalPremiumAmmo)

Brock Lesnar had a lawyer in Manitoba plead guilty on his behalf for a hunting infraction he was charged with in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada stemming from an incident that occurred back in December, 2010.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers charged Lesnar and his guide, Chad Styker with three counts each of contravening the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Act, including improper affixation of tags, spoilage of skin and edible flesh and possession of a controlled animal.

(“What, this officer? No, it’s just a deer mask I wear when I hunt to fool the little buggers.”)


(Video courtesy of YouTube/FederalPremiumAmmo)

Brock Lesnar had a lawyer in Manitoba plead guilty on his behalf for the hunting infraction he was charged with in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada stemming from an incident that occurred back in December, 2010.

Alberta Fish and Wildlife officers charged Lesnar and his guide, Chad Styker with three counts each of contravening the Alberta Fish and Wildlife Act, including improper affixation of tags, spoilage of skin and edible flesh and possession of a controlled animal.

(“What, this officer? No, it’s just a deer mask I wear when I hunt to fool the little buggers.”)

His case was originally to be put over until January 19, on the advice of his council, who pointed out that video and photographic evidence of his wrongdoing was on YouTube and various MMA websites, the former UFC heavyweight fighter chose to take his lumps today in court by accepting whatever sanctions the judge handed him. He was found guilty of improperly tagging of an animal and all of the other charges against him were dropped.

The court handed Brock a $1,725 CDN fine and banned him from hunting in and accepting shoddy medical care in the province for six months.

According to evidence, Lesnar was on a guided hunting trip last fall when he killed a trophy buck. Rather than taking the kill with them, his party opted to just cut the head off of the mule deer and leave the remaining carcass to rot.

In an unrelated story, Lesnar’s upcoming UFC 141 opponent Alistair Overeem got the shock of his life this morning when he woke up with a rotting mule buck head in his bed at the MGM Grand hotel in Las Vegas.

Brock Lesnar Enters Guilty Plea to Hunting Charges

Earlier this month it was revealed that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was facing hunting charges relating to the Alberta Fish and Wildlife act. On Tuesday, December 20, a lawyer representing Lesnar answered to those charges, enterin…

Earlier this month it was revealed that former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar was facing hunting charges relating to the Alberta Fish and Wildlife act. 

On Tuesday, December 20, a lawyer representing Lesnar answered to those charges, entering a plea of guilty in a Medicine Hat courtroom to one charge of improper tagging of an animal.

The original charges stemmed from a November 2010 trip to Alberta, Canada where Lesnar and his hunting guide allegedly failed to tag their game and left a mule deer carcass to rot.

According to the Winnipeg Free Press, for his guilty plea Lesnar received a fine of $1,725 and was given a six-month hunting suspension. Two other charges, spoiling of skin and edible flesh and possession of a controlled animal were dropped. The three charges carried a maximum penalty of $50,000 and a year in prison.

With the hunting charges behind him, Lesnar can put his entire focus on his upcoming fight at UFC 141. Lesnar will face Alistair Overeem in the main event of the December 30 fight card. Lesnar has not fought since losing the UFC heavyweight title to Cain Velasquez in October 2010. 

A fight with Junior dos Santos at the conclusion of season 13 of The Ultimate Fighter was scrapped when Lesnar suffered a second case of diverticulitis. Lesnar was forced to undergo surgery for the illness and had a section of his colon removed.

The winner of the December 30 bout will be in line to face current UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

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Overeem Passes Conditional Drug Test; UFC 141 Bout With Brock Lesnar Official for Dec. 30

Alistair Overeem has met the first of three required stipulations of his conditional licensing in Nevada today as he passed his pre-fight urine test administered a few weeks ago in Holland.

UFC president Dana White tweeted the news today.

Alistair Overeem has met the first of three required stipulations of his conditional licensing in Nevada today as he passed his pre-fight urine test administered a few weeks ago in Holland.

UFC president Dana White tweeted the news today.

The two remaining conditions “The Demolition Man” will have to meet to remain licensed by NSAC are that he will have to pass an additional test when he arrives in the U.S. for his upcoming December 30 UFC 141 bout with Brock Lesnar and he will also be required to submit to unannounced random testing over the next six months.

For those not keeping score, the Nevada commission nearly kaboshed the bout when Overeem failed to adhere to its request for a random pre-fight test within a reasonable amount of time, but relented and gave the former Strikeforce heavyweight fighter a second chance to right the situation by granting him the conditional license.