After all the drug scandals, injuries and reshuffling, UFC 146 is finally upon us with what we now hope is a fixed card of heavyweights slugging it out in one of the most anticipated events all year. There’s all to play for on Saturday—and …
After all the drug scandals, injuries and reshuffling, UFC 146 is finally upon us with what we now hope is a fixed card of heavyweights slugging it out in one of the most anticipated events all year.
There’s all to play for on Saturday—and it’s not just Junior Dos Santos putting everything on the line in his first heavyweight title defense against Frank Mir. The night will decide who the next contender will be as the entire division is shaken up and fighters will be moved up or down the ladder in the heavyweight rankings.
Whichever fighter has the most to gain must also have the least to lose. Former champion Cain Velasquez, who is facing Antonio Silva, is already hotly tipped as the next shot for the title. His loss against Dos Santos was seen as an aberration by many who still rank him as the No. 1 heavyweight in the world. They and the rest of us are eager to see a rematch between the two, but even if Mir defeats Dos Santos, having Velasquez face Dos Santos instead would still make perfect sense.
In that sense, Velasquez is not the man with the most to gain in terms of how far he will jump up the ladder towards the championship, but it’s certainly a long tumble down should the unthinkable happen and he finds himself in the losing corner on Saturday.
The rest of the card, while consisting of highly rated men, doesn’t contain anyone yet worthy of a title shot. Men like Roy Nelson, Stefan Struve and Antonio Silva are highly accomplished in their own rights, but none have strung together a consistent enough winning streak against elite opponents to be considered close to the belt.
That leaves Frank Mir, who has gone 4-2 in his last six matches, as the fighter with the most to gain at UFC 146. He was unexpectedly thrown in the spotlight after No. 1 contender Alistair Overeem dropped out due to failing a drug test.
Mir has an 11-year history in the sport and has already been a UFC champion. But he was soundly defeated by both Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin (a man who was systematically demolished by Dos Santos), leaving few to place him in their top-five heavyweights.
Mir has since resurrected his career with wins over Mirko “Cro Cop”, Roy Nelson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, and so it is not that outlandish to see him square off against Dos Santos for the belt.
But the fact is, it was a twist of fate and timing that landed him the shot. Many would have preferred to have seen Fabricio Werdum, fresh from a victory against Roy Nelson, in a rematch against Dos Santos. However, Werdum is due to fight later in the summer, so he was unable to make that card.
A loss against Dos Santos, the No. 1 fighter in the division, will drop Mir only a few spots in the rankings and not harm his reputation at all. But a win will secure a remarkable rejuvenation in the sport for this 32-year-old, and possibly earn him a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame.
Frank Mir is presented the chance to become UFC heavyweight champion again this Saturday at UFC 146 in Las Vegas, right in his home state of Nevada. The current champion, Junior Dos Santos, will attempt to deny the hometown fighter that chance and leav…
Frank Mir is presented the chance to become UFC heavyweight champion again this Saturday at UFC 146 in Las Vegas, right in his home state of Nevada. The current champion, Junior Dos Santos, will attempt to deny the hometown fighter that chance and leave the host crowd with a bad taste in their mouths.
Mir’s best chance to win over the formidable champion is to go back to his base art which he shares with Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix champion Daniel Cormier: wrestling.
The team captain of the 2008 USA Senior Freestyle Olympic Team, Cormier may be light-years ahead of Mir when it comes to wrestling.
Also way up there is his two-time nemesis Brock Lesnar, who was a former NCAA Division I wrestling champion.
Still, Mir’s winning the Nevada state championship during his teens in that tough sport is nothing to scoff at.
Keeping his confidence and continuously training in his wrestling skills could be his keys to victory come this Saturday night. And, upon securing the takedowns, add ferocious ground-and-pound a la Cormier in beating Josh Barnett.
There is no denying that Mir has one of the most dangerous submission games among the heavyweights, but while it’s true that his vicious 2011 Submission of the Year win over BJJ master Antonio Nogueira in UFC 140 was impressive, remember that it came about from a rather “special circumstance.”
Nogueira thought he was on the brink of pushing Mir off the edge, but uncannily got reversed and was the one who ended up fallen and broken.
Big Nog rocked Mir with an overhand right-jab combo in the first round. Next, he followed his stunned and prone opponent to the ground and started raining more fists.
After landing a number of head strikes, the confident Nogueira shifted to a guillotine-choke hold. Then, one of the most astounding comebacks in MMA unfolded.
Mir, still shaking off the cobwebs, remained all heart. Breaking free of the submission attempt, he scrambled and reversed Nogueira until he hyperextended and injured the latter’s elbow.
Now, will something similar to what befell Dos Santos’s idol and teammate happen this Saturday night? Will lightning strike twice?
Frank Mir has four of his 17 wins coming by way of KO; Dos Santos boasts of 10 out of 14. While anyone can land a “lucky” fight-ending strike, chances are Dos Santos the fearsome striker will be the one to slip one in.
And if Cigano lands it, it will strain credulity to think he just got just lucky.
It’s ground-and-pound en route to a decision win for Mir.
Do I honestly believe that Mir can wrestle down he who was not taken down by Shane Carwin, and in fact was the one who took the latter down twice?
Am I too confident that Mir’s high school state wrestling championship caliber—and whatever remains or has improved of it—still translates to effective MMA takedown skills in the UFC? That his wrestling will suffice in putting the defending champion on his back?
Well, maybe the hometown crowd will remain loud and proud all the way home.
There is nothing quite like a fight week in Las Vegas.I should know. I lived there for a year and attended far more events than I can possibly list here. Hell, I can’t even remember them all.I saw local action from some of the best independent promotio…
There is nothing quite like a fight week in Las Vegas.
I should know. I lived there for a year and attended far more events than I can possibly list here. Hell, I can’t even remember them all.
I saw local action from some of the best independent promotions in the country like Superior Cage Combat. I saw Ronda Rousey make her Las Vegas debut for Tuff N’ Uff, another local promotion. Rousey was every bit the star then that she is now; people just didn’t really know who she was. But it was only a matter of time.
I saw Strikeforce hit Vegas for the first time with its Challengers series. And yeah, I saw Rousey fight on that event as well.
But there’s really nothing like a big UFC card to get your juices flowing. The city comes alive in a way that’s hard to describe. Only the World Series of Poker or big boxing fights with Floyd Mayweather compare to UFC fight weeks. OK, Chinese New Year is pretty awesome too, but only if you know the rules of baccarat and/or have hundreds of thousands of dollars to blow.
I’m glad to be back. Fight week kicks off in earnest today with the open workouts. Every single heavyweight on the main card will be featured, and I’ll be bringing you exclusive stories and video content throughout the week. Stay tuned as I attempt to take you as close to fight week as you can get without actually being there.
This Saturday, UFC 146 goes down in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the heavyweight title is on the line between current champion Junior dos Santos and former champion Frank Mir.Also on the card is a fight between former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, and…
This Saturday, UFC 146 goes down in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the heavyweight title is on the line between current champion Junior dos Santos and former champion Frank Mir.
Also on the card is a fight between former heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez, and a participant in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, Antonio Silva.
Cain Velasquez was last seen at UFC on Fox 1, where he lost his title to dos Santos in the first round by knockout.
With the loss, Cain failed to defend his title, and joined a long list of champions who were never able to defend the belt.
The name Mikey Rukus may not ring a bell for fight fans. But after writing walkout music for some of the bigger names in the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator, top fighters and members of their management teams should be familiar with the king of Roc…
The name Mikey Rukus may not ring a bell for fight fans. But after writing walkout music for some of the bigger names in the UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator, top fighters and members of their management teams should be familiar with the king of Rock and Rumble.
Mikey Rukus has created original entrance themes for many, including UFC heavyweight contender Mark Hunt, Strikeforce middleweight challenger Robbie Lawler and current Bellator welterweight finalist Karl Amoussou.
Bleacher Report’s Andrew Saunders was lucky enough to sit down with Mikey for an exclusive one-on-one interview with the cage-fighting composer.
Andrew Saunders: Let’s get straight into it. What exciting projects are you working on that can you tell us about?
Mikey Rukus: Right now, I’ve got two that I’m really excited about. I just wrapped up Leonard Garcia for June 8 at UFC on FX. The other is really cool. I’m recording the official theme song for the all-women fight promotion Invicta Fighting Championships.
AS: Tell us about the first time you heard your music at a UFC event.
MR: The first time I actually heard it was at UFC 142 Rio. I was watching, telling everyone that it would be there, but in the back of my mind I was prepared. Anything could’ve happened at the last minute which would have prevented it.
When it actually hit, I listened for about five seconds and started screaming at the top of my lungs, “Wooohoooo!” My wife laughed and cried at the same time. All of the work, creating something out of nothing, was coming to fruition.
AS: Your next UFC appearance came at UFC 144, writing the walkout tune for Mark Hunt when he squared off with Cheick Kongo. Tell us about that experience.
MR: I found Mark Hunt through Facebook. He and I exchanged emails, and he was interested. It almost didn’t happen, as every personal catastrophe possible took place the same week I was set to record, including losing my electricity 48 hours before the track was due to him for approval.
AS: That must have been a terrifying moment for you.
MR: Absolutely. Thankfully, we were able to get our lights turned back on, and the track was completed. He loved it, and off to 144 Mark went to face Kongo. The music hit, and of course it never really goes over on TV the way it does in the arena, but I thought it sounded great.
I was really surprised to see my name on his banner. I didn’t ask for that, nor did I expect it. It was a great surprise and even cooler that I called the first-round knockout and it happened.
AS: Mark must have been pleased with your work. The Super Samoan hired you once again for UFC 146. With so much circling Hunt, from the Rally For Hunt that trended worldwide to his unfortunate injury that removed him from the event, it must have provided a roller coaster of emotions.
MR: Mark was very short and to the point; he knew what he wanted. We were set to start a new track for him and had already gone into production when the whole Overeem thing took place. To see the rally take the shape the way it did was really cool.
We knew it was unlikely, but the possibility of him getting that “Rocky” shot certainly struck a chord with a lot of people, and to know that I would have been a part of that would have paralleled everything I’ve gone through in my life to get to where I am now.
AS: How so?
MR: All my life I’ve been told to give up, get a real job and forget the music thing. For the record, I’ve been working a “real job” for the last 25 years while pushing my music. As late as last week someone told me to get over myself and that if I was going to do anything with it that it would have happened a long time ago rather than wasting 17 years of my life trying to make something happen. Things like that do nothing more than fuel me to prove everyone wrong.
AS: That does seem to echo the tale of Hunt, a man who was considered past the point of no return, who is just breaking through despite working at this for so long. After knocking out Kongo, it was his time to shine. UFC 146 was his chance to prove that his fans were right for rallying behind him.
MR: I knew the injury the day it happened, but I did not share with anyone. It wasn’t my place to say anything.
When you invest your time writing for a fighter, telling their story, you develop that sentiment where you want them to be successful, you want them to do well, you root for them. I knew that this fight for Mark was huge, and when I heard he was hurt, I washurt. Not to worry, he will be back soon and will continue to upset pundits all over the world.
AS: Working with a big name like Hunt has got to be incredible. Is there anyone else who you are dying to write for?
MR: Anyone who is willing to work with me, doesn’t matter if they’re a world champion, or on a local circuit. I enjoy telling the story of each individual fighter. There is a place for this and one that no one else has done, so I am up for the task to write for anyone who’s willing to work with me.
AS: I understand that you were in attendance at UFC on Fuel last weekend. Tell us about getting to hear your music bellow through the high-energy arena of a UFC event.
MR: It is a feeling I will never forget and look forward to experiencing again. It went over so thunderous at that moment in the arena that I actually had to shut my eyes and just take it in. After, of course, I tapped all of the managers and fighters in the comp and told them that I made that music. It definitely sparked conversations with several of the fighters for the remainder of the night.
AS: OK, Mikey. I’ve got to put you on the spot. UFC 146 is this weekend. How do you see the main event going down?
MR: Junior will keep this one on his feet. His hands are crisp and will find their target. That’s not to say Mir can’t throw; his striking is some of the most improved that I’ve seen in the division, but I don’t see Mir trying to trade. He will look to clinch and try to work to take him down and work his submission skills.
After what happened to Nog, JDS will not go there; I don’t see JDS pouncing Mir if he knocks Mir down in fear of getting into a similar situation. I see JDS’ hand speed and punching power being the deciding factor in this bout. TKO second round in favor of JDS.
AS: Really quick: Cain or Bigfoot?
MR: I don’t see this one going more than one round. Cain Velasquez by KO.
AS: Big Country or Dave Herman?
MR: I see these guys swinging for all they are worth and let it go to the scorecards. Herman to upset via decision.
AS: Struve or Johnson?
MR: Struve has promise, but I still think he’s growing into utilizing his size and realizing some of the power he has. He looked strong against Herman in his last bout, throwing some flawless combos, but this is Lavar’s time. In my opinion, he is one of the brightest spots of the Strikeforce exodus.
Lavar will come inside, be wary of the clinch because of Struve’s knees, but will find his range inside of Struve’s reach. First-round knockout.
AS: Before we go, Mikey, is there a place where fighters and fight fans can go to sample your music?
MR: Absolutely, my web page is www.soundclick.com/mikeyrukus. There you will see all of the work that I’ve done for all of my 60-plus previous clients, nearly 100 theme songs with a 100 percent success rate!
My full-blown website is under construction, and believe me, I will go out on a limb and say, the people that I am working with on this, when completed, it will change the landscape of mixed martial arts in terms of how things are marketed, displayed and viewed.
Bleacher Report wants to thank Mikey Rukus for his time.
Looking to contact Mikey Rukus about penning an entrance theme? Do you just have a question? You can email him at [email protected], follow him on Twitter at @MikeyRukus or search for him on Facebook.
November 14, 2009. That’s the last time British welterweight Dan Hardy tasted victory inside the Octagon. His current four-fight losing streak would have cost most fighters their jobs with the promotion. However, because two of those losses were agains…
November 14, 2009. That’s the last time British welterweight Dan Hardy tasted victory inside the Octagon.
His current four-fight losing streak would have cost most fighters their jobs with the promotion.
However, because two of those losses were against the current and interim champions in the division—Georges St-Pierre and Carlos Condit, respectively—Hardy has been given a pass thus far.
After starting his UFC career 4-0, Hardy was quickly made the poster boy for British MMA fans.
That fast start vaulted him to a title shot at UFC 111. Although Hardy gained numerous fans by surviving multiple submission attempts against the aforementioned St-Pierre, the Nottingham native has been unable to find the win column ever since.
Certainly Hardy is endeared to both the promotion and fans for his enigmatic personality and willingness to stand and trade with anyone. But even a fighter in the good graces of the promotion can’t avoid the chopping block forever without a win.
A fifth consecutive loss is practically unheard of in the UFC. Even veteran fighters on the tail end of their careers such as Chuck Liddell and Tito Ortiz avoided such a disastrous stretch.
At UFC 146 on May 26, Hardy will face one of the most technical stand-up fighters in the division in Duane “Bang” Ludwig. Without a doubt, this is Hardy’s last stand.
Although his last performance against Chris Lytle earned “Fight of the Night” honors, the promotion has to draw the line somewhere. Allowing any fighter—regardless of their name, popularity or credentials—to continue under contract after so many losses would set a bad precedent for the future.
In fact, Hardy should consider himself lucky.
Many fighters have been cut after just one or two defeats, and three has almost always been the point where a fighter is handed their walking papers.
If the “Outlaw” doesn’t find a way to overcome Ludwig on the 26th, he’ll certainly find himself looking for new employment after he exits the Octagon.
After all the drug scandals, injuries and reshuffling, UFC 146 is finally upon us with what we now hope is a fixed card of heavyweights slugging it out in one of the most anticipated events all year.