Tag: UFC 141

UFC 141 Results: Nate Diaz vs Benson Henderson Breakdown

Nate Diaz is gearing up for a run at the UFC lightweight title, but depending on the outcome of the championship fight at UFC 144, the bout may not be against current champion Frankie Edgar.Former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is set to fac…

Nate Diaz is gearing up for a run at the UFC lightweight title, but depending on the outcome of the championship fight at UFC 144, the bout may not be against current champion Frankie Edgar.

Former WEC lightweight champion Benson Henderson is set to face Edgar on February 26 to determine the king of the 155-pound division.

The opponent doesn’t necessarily matter to Diaz. He just wants an opportunity to capture a UFC title and finally prove he’s one of the best in the world.

While a bout against Edgar would be incredibly tough in its own right, Diaz would have a difficult time dealing with the pressure from Henderson’s persistent takedowns and strong top control.

Takedown defense has been a consistent problem with Diaz throughout his career. He tends to rely on his world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as the great equalizer in dealing with strong wrestlers, but his plans typically go awry when the wrestler has great submission defense.

Henderson could be seen as the Harry Houdini of MMA. He has performed some of the most impossible escapes in the past against accomplished grapplers.

Diaz’s best chances against Henderson will come in the standup exchanges. Henderson is a decent boxer who has the ability to string together simplified combinations. Diaz should be able to use his range, head movement and pinpoint accuracy to land often on the feet.

Can Diaz keep the bout standing?

This one question could decide the outcome of the entire fight. It’s tough to see Diaz stuffing Henderson’s takedowns, but in a five-round bout, it leaves plenty of opportunities for the Cesar Gracie student to nab a submission.

Stylistically, this just isn’t a good matchup for Diaz. Henderson would be relentless with his takedowns and eat chunks of time off the clock from top position.

“Smooth” takes the unanimous decision.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 141 Results: Nate Diaz vs. Frankie Edgar Breakdown

Following an impressive unanimous decision victory over Donald Cerrone at UFC 141, Nate Diaz has his eyes set on UFC gold, and lightweight champion Frankie Edgar looks to be the primary target in his crosshairs.”I hope I get a number one contender spot…

Following an impressive unanimous decision victory over Donald Cerrone at UFC 141, Nate Diaz has his eyes set on UFC gold, and lightweight champion Frankie Edgar looks to be the primary target in his crosshairs.

“I hope I get a number one contender spot or a title shot because I ain’t trying to play around with these funny fights no more,” Diaz told UFC.com in a post-fight interview.

“I’ve been fighting for too long, and I want to fight the best guys. I want to get what I deserve out of this.”

Coming off back-to-back wins over Cerrone and lightweight legend Takanori Gomi, Diaz can certainly make a case for a UFC title shot.

How would he match up against Edgar, a man UFC President Dana White once proclaimed as the No. 2 best pound-for-pound fighter in the world?

On the feet, Diaz can present a lot of technical problems for Edgar. He is an aggressive striker with a tremendous understanding of range. His accuracy is pinpoint, and he utilizes good head movement.

The high volume of punches is generally where he finds the most success. Diaz is going to press Edgar and force him to exchange in the pocket.

The difference between Cerrone and Edgar lies in speed and grappling abilities.

Edgar isn’t an easy target to find on the feet. He tends to rely on his speed to explode in and out of the pocket with well-placed combinations.

Diaz’s primary concern should be the takedowns. It’s common knowledge that wrestling isn’t his forte, and despite being undersized at 155 pounds, Edgar remains one of the best wrestlers in the entire division.

Diaz is a world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu artist, but Edgar has proven himself in dealing with the legendary guard of B.J. Penn on a couple of occasions.

While Diaz would put up a solid effort, Edgar has to be the favorite considering his huge wrestling advantage and submission defense.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 141 Results: 3 Reasons Alistair Overeem May Not Be Ready for a Title Shot

Alistair Overeem impressed in his UFC debut against former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar on Saturday night at UFC 141.The former Strikeforce champion came in with a low base and ripped at Lesnar with devastating knees and kicks to the body.It was a…

Alistair Overeem impressed in his UFC debut against former heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar on Saturday night at UFC 141.

The former Strikeforce champion came in with a low base and ripped at Lesnar with devastating knees and kicks to the body.

It was a performance that proved once and for all Overeem’s No. 3 positioning in the heavyweight rankings.

The UFC has already confirmed the upcoming championship bout between Overeem and Junior dos Santos.

Most in the MMA world are already singing praises to Overeem as the heavyweight division’s uncrowned king, but a step back and deep breath opens up an entirely different look in regards to the title picture.

As the former Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Dream heavyweight champion and K-1 World Grand Prix champion, there is no questioning whether or not Overeem deserves a shot at UFC gold. He has gone above and beyond to earn a crack at the most prestigious title in the sport.

Still, there is major skill gap between dos Santos and Cain Velasquez in comparison to the rest of the division.

Is the hype real?

The world will soon know as Overeem is set to trek foot into some serious upper-echelon territory.

Here are three reasons he may not be ready for a title shot.

Begin Slideshow

UFC: Brock Lesnar Walked Away from the Game at the Right Time

In UFC 141’s main event, Brock Lesnar was pummeled by former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. Lesnar was dropped by a kick to the liver and was finished by strikes for the second time in his career, suffering his second consecutive lo…

In UFC 141‘s main event, Brock Lesnar was pummeled by former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. Lesnar was dropped by a kick to the liver and was finished by strikes for the second time in his career, suffering his second consecutive loss since defeating Shane Carwin at UFC 116. Lesnar announced his retirement right after the fight.

While this is a loss to fight fans and the UFC, as he was one of the most exciting fighters in the organization (he was the largest pay-per-view draw in the business), it was the right thing to do for Lesnar. At 34, Lesnar is still new to the fight game and does not have the time to improve dramatically and make another run at the title. He has had two horribly taxing surgeries on his body in the last two years and has had twelve inches of his colon removed, along with a lot of other physically taxing injuries due to his mononucleosis. Plus, it seems like he will always have a weakness with strikers. And with the talent pool emerging from the heavyweight division, more and more strikers are coming into the heavyweight title picture, making it unlikely that he could ever get his title back.

Now this is not a bad thing. Lesnar has accomplished on pure athletic skill and determination what many can only dream about. Whether or not he was “overhyped” is inconsequential; he reached the top of the mountain and defended his title. So for one brief moment he was undoubtedly the best in his division. That is something to be proud of. His stepping away from the game is the right thing to do; for him, for his family and for the fight game.

Lesnar helped to bring MMA into the mainstream and will continue to thrive beyond him. But what he has done for the game is invaluable. Even if he was becoming irrelevant there is no doubt that he has had the most impact on the UFC in its modern era and should be remembered as the man who championed it into its golden age.

Support the Daniel James Miller Foundation by donating this holiday season. You can get more information by visiting http://danieljamesmillerfoundation.wordpress.com/upcoming-fundraisers/. Any donation goes a long way. 
Happy Holidays to all!

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 141 Results: Nate Diaz Is Now an Elite Lightweight

Nate Diaz finally stepped from the long-cast shadows of his brother Nick Diaz at UFC 141.The lightweight contender completely decimated a red hot Donald Cerrone en route to a lopsided unanimous decision victory and quite possibly a shot at UFC gold.To …

Nate Diaz finally stepped from the long-cast shadows of his brother Nick Diaz at UFC 141.

The lightweight contender completely decimated a red hot Donald Cerrone en route to a lopsided unanimous decision victory and quite possibly a shot at UFC gold.

To many, Diaz’s win over Cerrone represented his true coming out party as an elite lightweight in the UFC, but pundits tend to go back further and see that Diaz has always maintained a solid track record at 155 pounds.

Before jumping to welterweight, the Cesar Gracie student was coming off a win over Melvin Guillard and a highly controversial split-decision loss to Gray Maynard, who is widely considered as one of the top three lightweights in the world.

Diaz has obviously come a long way in his striking, which looked almost identical to his brother Nick’s against Cerrone. He constantly presses forward and wears opponents down with a high volume of punches in the pocket.

Cerrone had opportunities to seek out takedowns or jump into Diaz’s guard, but along with world-class boxing skills, the Diaz brothers are known for having some of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the sport.

The primary hole in Diaz’s game lies in his wrestling, but he tends to brush that fact aside and hope that his submission prowess stands out as the great equalizer.

It’s going to be interesting to see how he deals with strong wrestlers with great submission defense.

Lightweights such as Frankie Edgar, Ben Henderson and Gray Maynard should all be significant tests, but if the Cerrone bout was any indication, the year 2012 could represent the rise of Nate Diaz.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 141 Results: Matches to Make After Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem

A year marked by outstanding growth for MMA ended with the retirement of a fighter largely responsible for the growth of the sport. In the UFC’s final event of 2011, Brock Lesnar called it quits after a quick defeat at the hands of former Strikeforce c…

A year marked by outstanding growth for MMA ended with the retirement of a fighter largely responsible for the growth of the sport. In the UFC’s final event of 2011, Brock Lesnar called it quits after a quick defeat at the hands of former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem.

While Lesnar may never step into the Octagon again, the rest of UFC 141‘s competitors are likely to continue competing under the UFC banner. Lesnar’s opponent, Overeem, even earned a title shot with his victory on Friday.

Aside from Lesnar, here are the bouts that the rest of the UFC 141 fighters should be scheduled for next.

Begin Slideshow