Traveling to a foreign locale can be stressful for a fighter. No one knows this better than former UFC champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Between them, the two MMA legends have fought outside of the United States 10 times, and made dozens of promo…
Traveling to a foreign locale can be stressful for a fighter. No one knows this better than former UFC champions Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz. Between them, the two MMA legends have fought outside of the United States 10 times, and made dozens of promotional trips to support the sport.
Jet lag? An issue.
Unfamiliar tongues and strange foods? Those can be issues as well.
Those are the basics. But there are also some potential issues that the UFC community needs to know about heading into Japan for UFC 144 this weekend. Luckily, Bleacher Report sat down with both men and had them play an unusual role—travel guide.
The sixteenth of December in the year 2000 marked the last time the UFC made an appearance in the Land of the Rising Sun, and to celebrate, we’ve managed to pull some strings and dig up the entire pay-per-view event for your viewing pleasure. Because here at CP, we like to consider ourselves the cool step dads of the MMA blogosphere. Though we may not be around as much as we should, when we show up, you best believe we bring the nudie mags, cigarettes, and that funny smelling water that makes you all giggly and tired. Sure, your mom says it’s evil and thinks it killed your old dad, and sure, when you come to there’s change missing off the dresser, but at the end of the day, you’re just happy we brought you a gift, right?
The sixteenth of December in the year 2000 marked the last time the UFC made an appearance in the Land of the Rising Sun, and to celebrate, we’ve managed to pull some strings and dig up the entire pay-per-view event for your viewing pleasure. Because here at CP, we like to consider ourselves the cool step dads of the MMA blogosphere. Though we may not be around as much as we should, when we show up, you best believe we bring the nudie mags, cigarettes, and that funny smelling water that makes you all giggly and tired. Sure, your mom says it’s evil and thinks it killed your old dad, and sure, when you come to there’s change missing off the dresser, but at the end of the day, you’re just happy we brought you a gift, right?
Featuring Chuck Liddell vs. Jeff Monson, Dennis Hallman’s SECOND lightning quick submission win over Matt Hughes, a light heavyweight championship tilt between Pat Miletich and Kenichi Yamamoto, and a headlining middleweight championship bout between Tito Ortiz and Yuki Kondo, UFC 29 was nearly as stacked as UFC 144 looks to be, and delivered several exciting finishes from the Differ Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
UFC 29 also featured the UFC debut of Olympic silver medalist Matt Lindland, and according to its Wikipedia page, was the first event to play music in-between rounds. Why they decided to use anything but Onmyo-Za is beyond me. Anyway, check it out before it gets taken down.
One thing to watch for: At one point in the broadcast, Mike Goldberg refers to the Japanese ring girls as “title holders in their own right.” Not exactly sure what he meant by that, but the man sticks to his guns.
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and the UFC make their return to Japan this weekend at UFC 144 (check out the Japanese Promo Video here).
Jackson will face Ryan Bader with an opportunity to get back in the win column following his submission loss to UFC Ligh…
Jackson will face Ryan Bader with an opportunity to get back in the win column following his submission loss to UFC Light Heavyweight Champ, Jon Jones, at UFC 135.
Bader, who was also submitted by Jon Jones (that guy’s pretty good), is coming off a knock out victory of Jason Brilz at UFC 139. Jackson talked about the matchup and his return to Japan on 95.7 the Game.
Jackson made his name in MMA when he fought in the Japanese MMA organization, Pride, and is very excited to fight in Japan again:
I’m really close to the Japanese fans. They’re very respectful and it’s just hard not to like those guys because of the way they treat fighters and stuff. It’s just easy to fall in love with them.
Most people will tell you Rampage was a different fighter when he fought in Japan. People that say that have this power bomb finish in mind. Rampage, what about that power bomb?
That was the coolest thing that I have done in a long time. It was pretty crazy that the power bomb was so powerful. I had no idea that it was going to be so powerful. Just something I always wanted to do because I was such a fan of pro wrestling.
On to Ryan Bader. What can fans expect from this fight?
You can expect for me to be as outgoing as possible. I’m going to try to end the fight as fast as possible and put on one of the most exciting shows I’ve ever done. I have trained really hard so I can go hard the whole fight and that’s what I plan to do.
Jackson was asked what he has learned from watching film on Bader.
I don’t watch film of my opponents. I never really did. Yeah I like surprises so I don’t really watch. I know he’s a great wrestler and a big puncher. I’m looking forward to the challenge. Whatever it is I’m looking forward to it.
Film? Rampage don’t need to watch no film!
While I don’t see Rampage slamming Bader in this fight, I do see him finishing it violently.
(In the main event, actor Ryan Reynolds defends his belt against a 100% Asian version of Ben Henderson. Plus, Rampage Jackson faces off against a prime Wes Sims. The referee for this evening will be Dan Miragliotta.)
The UFC’s return to Japan this weekend features plenty of attractive opportunities to earn money without working for it. So where do the edges lie? How much better will the UFC’s Japanese stars look on their home turf? And should you really be betting money with tax season coming up? (Just kidding, that one was a trick question.) Complete UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson odds are below, via BestFightOdds, followed by our occasionally-helpful betting advice. Check it out, and be sure to come back to CagePotato Saturday night for our liveblog of the fights, starting with the FX prelims broadcast at 8 p.m. ET.
MAIN CARD
Frankie Edgar (-125) vs. Ben Henderson (+115)
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (-237) vs. Ryan Bader (+220)
Cheick Kongo (-270) vs. Mark Hunt (+270)
Jake Shields (-300) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (+269)
Yushin Okami (-331) vs. Tim Boetsch (+300)
Hatsu Hioki (-167) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+155)
Anthony Pettis (-220) vs. Joe Lauzon (+220)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Takanori Gomi (-200) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (+175)
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (-288) vs. Vaughan Lee (+275)
Riki Fukuda (-300) vs. Steve Cantwell (+258)
Takeya Mizugaki (-200) vs. Chris Cariaso (+172)
PRELIMINARY BOUT (Facebook)
Tiequan Zhang (-250) vs. Issei Tamura (+250)
(In the main event, actor Ryan Reynolds defends his belt against a 100% Asian version of Ben Henderson. Plus, Rampage Jackson faces off against a prime Wes Sims. The referee for this evening will be Dan Miragliotta.)
The UFC’s return to Japan this weekend features plenty of attractive opportunities to earn money without working for it. So where do the edges lie? How much better will the UFC’s Japanese stars look on their home turf? And should you really be betting money with tax season coming up? (Just kidding, that one was a trick question.) Complete UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson odds are below, via BestFightOdds, followed by our occasionally-helpful betting advice. Check it out, and be sure to come back to CagePotato Saturday night for our liveblog of the fights, starting with the FX prelims broadcast at 8 p.m. ET.
MAIN CARD
Frankie Edgar (-125) vs. Ben Henderson (+115)
Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (-237) vs. Ryan Bader (+220)
Cheick Kongo (-270) vs. Mark Hunt (+270)
Jake Shields (-300) vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama (+269)
Yushin Okami (-331) vs. Tim Boetsch (+300)
Hatsu Hioki (-167) vs. Bart Palaszewski (+155)
Anthony Pettis (-220) vs. Joe Lauzon (+220)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FX)
Takanori Gomi (-200) vs. Eiji Mitsuoka (+175)
Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (-288) vs. Vaughan Lee (+275)
Riki Fukuda (-300) vs. Steve Cantwell (+258)
Takeya Mizugaki (-200) vs. Chris Cariaso (+172)
PRELIMINARY BOUT (Facebook)
Tiequan Zhang (-250) vs. Issei Tamura (+250)
The Main Event: At this point, we shouldn’t have to tell you not to bet against Frankie Edgar when a belt is on the line. The question is, do you put money on him at these odds, or awkwardly back out of the room? I have faith in Edgar’s tenacity, but Henderson has looked so outstanding in his 3-0 UFC stint that at the very least, it’ll be a dogfight decided on the slimmest of margins. I’m not leaving my money in the hands of the judges, and the smartest bet here is no bet at all.
The Co-Main Event: You have to understand how much this fight means to Quinton Jackson. His future is on the line, following his failed title challenge against Jon Jones last September. He’ll be fighting in front of his family, and the Japanese fans that made him a star in the first place. In short, motivation will not be an issue. Meanwhile, Ryan Bader will be stepping into Rampage’s world on Saturday night, and the enormity of the fight and the Saitama Super Arena crowd might be overwhelming. I think this is a favorable matchup for Rampage, as long as he can dodge Bader’s power-punches and stuff most of his takedowns. A modest bet on the favorite makes sense.
The Good ‘Dogs: Didn’t we learn our lesson when Joe Lauzon was marked as a 4-1 underdog against Melvin Guillard? Never sleep on J-Lau. Once again, the oddsmakers have set Joe up as the underdog, even though Pettis hasn’t quite lived up to his hype since coming over to the UFC. As soon as the fight hits the mat, the odds shift dramatically in Lauzon’s favor. I’m also leaning towards Bart Palaszewski over Hatsu Hioki — simply based on their Octagon debuts at UFC 137, in which Bart destroyed Tyson Griffin and Hioki barely got past George Roop. I’d also point out that Kid Yamamoto is a strong favorite only because he’s got home-field advantage; it’s certainly not based on his performance in the UFC.
The Reader-Submitted Parlay: “Shields, Kongo, Edgar pays out 108 on a 50 dollar bet. Simple, easy and a lock.” (Aaron B.) We say: Shields and Kongo, sure. But again, I’m staying away from wagering on the main event. So how ’bout…
Official CagePotato Parlay: Kongo + Shields + Okami + Zhang. $10 gets you a $17.38 profit. I know, that barely covers bus fare, but you’ll want to play it safe if you’re chasing underdogs with the rest of your money.
Suggested wager for a $50 stake
– $20 on Jackson
– $10 on Lauzon
– $10 on Palaszewski
– $10 on the parlay
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making its long-awaited return to Japan this weekend, and the event promises to be a showcase for some of the best Japanese fighters in the world. Of the 12 fights scheduled to take place inside one of MM…
The Ultimate Fighting Championship is making its long-awaited return to Japan this weekend, and the event promises to be a showcase for some of the best Japanese fighters in the world. Of the 12 fights scheduled to take place inside one of MMA‘s original shrines, the Saitama Superdome, eight will involve Japanese fighters.
The fighters are scattered throughout the preliminary and main card of the event and notables Takanori “The Fireball Kid” Gomi, Hatsu Hioki, Yushin “Thunder” Okami and superstar “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama will all be in tough fights on this night.
It is the time for the Rising Sun to shine in MMA, and the stage is set for an incredible night for the Japanese faithful. Will it be a showcase or a beat down for Japanese MMA?
Here are my predictions for the Japanese fighters.
UFC 144 is just days away, and fans can’t wait to watch one of the greatest fight cards in the UFC’s history. And with Frankie Edgar headlining the card, you can’t really think of enough reasons for them not to be excited. Why? Because fans antici…
UFC 144 is just days away, and fans can’t wait to watch one of the greatest fight cards in the UFC’s history. And with Frankie Edgar headlining the card, you can’t really think of enough reasons for them not to be excited.
Why? Because fans anticipate another “Rocky Balboa” performance from the champion—just like what he exhibited in his two previous fights against the “Bully” Gray Maynard, where he came back from adversity to notch a draw in the first match and a victory in the rematch.
But what excites me the most about UFC 144 is the fact that we may actually see the crowning of Edgar as the greatest UFC lightweight fighter ever.
His opponent, Benson Henderson, is actually considered by some pundits as a fighter who has all the tools to give Edgar enough problems. If he manages to defeat Henderson, Edgar may have actually eliminated the greatest threat to his belt.
Although many may make the case that he hasn’t fought Anthony Pettis and Gilbert Melendez yet, two fighters he previously defeated (BJ Penn and Gray Maynard) would certainly be favorites if matched-up against those two.
Just defeating Penn two times says a lot for the skill level that Edgar has, and knocking out Maynard is enough to make every fighter in the lightweight division fear him.
Defeating Henderson this weekend in Japan might mean that he may have also eliminated two top fighters the former Strikeforce Champion has beaten in Clay Guida and Jim Miller, and might actually close the debate on who’s the greatest fighter of all time in the lightweight division.
Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and the UFC make their return to Japan this weekend at 
