Tag: UFC 146

Frank Mir: Junior dos Santos Only Brings Great Boxing into the Fight

Frank Mir is relishing the opportunity to challenge for a UFC heavyweight title once again.The 12-year veteran previously held the heavyweight strap in 2004, before vacating the title after a motorcycle accident nearly cost him his career. After earnin…

Frank Mir is relishing the opportunity to challenge for a UFC heavyweight title once again.

The 12-year veteran previously held the heavyweight strap in 2004, before vacating the title after a motorcycle accident nearly cost him his career. After earning three consecutive victories, Mir now finds himself facing current UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior dos Santos at UFC 146 on May 26th.

Mir said he is honored to face a competitor of the Brazilian’s caliber, but it is only dos Santos’ boxing that he sees as his primary concern.

“Junior dos Santos is always submitting people on their feet and he’s a better boxer, but that’s all he brings to this scenario,” Mir told TATAME.com. “He may be good at Jiu-Jitsu, he can be a great wrestler, but his strongest point is Boxing, so his game plan is not to be on his punching zone so he won’t find me.”

Mir was originally slated to meet former UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez that same night, however, he was put in the main event after learning dos Santos’ original challenger Alistair Overeem had failed a pre-fight drug test.

Mir said he wasn’t surprised to learn that he would replace the Dutchman and believed he was the only other contender who was worthy of challenging “Cigano.”

“I wasn’t surprised at all. Obviously I heard Dana’s version and in my mind I don’t think they’d put another person instead of me to fight Junior dos Santos,” he said. “I thought there would be a great chance I wouldn’t fight for the title, but it never happened and here I am.”

And now that Mir is competing for a title shot again, he is focused on recapturing the belt and he expects dos Santos to be ready as well.

Despite his last victory over dos Santos’ mentor and friend, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Mir doesn’t believe the champion’s intention will be to avenge Nogueira’s loss. Mir fought Nogueira at UFC 141 last December and broke his arm after submitting the former PRIDE FC star in the first round.

“I guess he’s only fighting me because I’m trying to take that belt off him,” he said. “I know it would be nice for him if he could win this fight and come back having revenged his friend’s loss, but in the end of the say he will be more focused on fighting me for his own reasons, after all, he wants to remain as the champion.”

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UFC 146 and the Next Great UFC Idea: An All Flyweight Free Card

If you watched last night’s fights on Fuel TV and Fox, a few things caught your eye. One, Nate Diaz is one bad dude. Two, the flyweights are the most excited dudes in sports. If you saw the battle between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall a few m…

If you watched last night’s fights on Fuel TV and Fox, a few things caught your eye. One, Nate Diaz is one bad dude. Two, the flyweights are the most excited dudes in sports. If you saw the battle between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall a few months ago at UFC on Fuel 2, then you sort of already knew the Flyweights were amazing and exciting, but last nights performances by John Dodson, Tim Elliott, and Louis Gaudinot gave everyone a new outlook on how fun this division is going to be.

So with that said, and the UFC 146 all heavyweight card on the horizon, it makes me think: what if the UFC had a card on FX or possibly even Fox that’s main card was five flyweight fights? Can you say exciting? Now, yes, the Flyweights are currently not very well known by many casual MMA fans, but what better way to display them than to hold a card like this?

The card could come around October and feature the flyweight championship fight between Joseph Benavidez and the winner of the Demetrious Johnson-Ian McCall II coming this summer. Also, feature a co-main event of the loser of Johnson/McCall against John Dodson to possibly determine the next flyweight championship contender.

Then, feel out the card by possibly booking a match-up with Yasuhiro Urushitani and, if the UFC will go ahead and sign him, the previously ranked number one Flyweight Jussier da Silva. Round out the main card with two awesome matchups between Louis Gaudinot and Tim Elliott and a matchup between Chris Cariaso and Darren Uyenoyama.

That is just a card I through together for the sake of this article, but if that was the actual card, it would be the fastest paced main card in UFC history! And all them fighters I named, with the exception of da Silva, are already on the UFC roster, so imagined if they went out and signed some other top-ranked flyweights such as Haruo Ochi, Mamoru Yamaguchi, Sean Santella, or Nam Jin Jo? It would make the card even better and all the fights would shake up the UFC flyweight title picture.

Although fans aren’t going crazy about the flyweights just yet, after a card like last night, fans want more and creating a card like this would without question leave fans wanting even more and give the flyweights the attention and respect they deserve without having to bring each one up one by one through the prelims.

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Dana White Says Frank Mir and Roy Nelson Have Most to Lose at UFC 146

After the UFC on Fox 3 pre-fight presser, Dana White dropped a very interesting nugget to the media in attendance about UFC 146.He was asked who in his opinion had the most to lose at UFC 146 and his answer may surprise you. It’s an interesting questio…

After the UFC on Fox 3 pre-fight presser, Dana White dropped a very interesting nugget to the media in attendance about UFC 146.

He was asked who in his opinion had the most to lose at UFC 146 and his answer may surprise you. It’s an interesting question as there are several fighters on the main card who may be on their last legs in the promotion. Even more interesting is his response.  

“I’d probably have to say (Frank) Mir. Mir’s been in so many title fights and held it twice. Losing wouldn’t be too great for Big Country either. I think he’s 1-4 in his last five fights. So he needs a win too.”

Roy Nelson is probably expendable. He’s a former Ultimate Fighter but has failed to exceed any expectations. He’s continued to be unwilling to drop to light heavyweight.

Instead, he’s made jokes about his weight and continues to fight at heavyweight (h/t mmajunkie.com), even though Dana has stated in interviews he thinks that “Big Country” would be better suited at 205. The only thing that may keep Nelson on the roster is that he’s a fan favorite and always brings the fight. 

I am surprised that White said that Mir has the most to lose at 146.

Mir is one of the UFC’s best known fighters and one of the few guys that is legitimately “home grown.” He’s been willing to step up in many situations and his stint on The Ultimate Fighter endeared him to fans. There’s also the fact that he’s the only fighter in MMA history to stop Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira twice.

In my mind, a loss to Junior Dos Santos wouldn’t end his career, as he’s still relatively young and has plenty more to offer the heavyweight division. He still has time to go on another run, and he’s always dangerous both standing and on the feet. I guess this is just a time when myself and the UFC president disagree. 

Matthew Roth is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained first-hand.

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UFC 146 Fight Card: Will so Many Heavyweights on 1 Card Create Booking Issues?

With almost every relevant heavyweight crammed into one event, it’s difficult not to be excited for UFC 146.  Heavyweights are the main attraction in all combat sports so creating an all-heavyweight card seems perfect, right?   But coul…

With almost every relevant heavyweight crammed into one event, it’s difficult not to be excited for UFC 146.  Heavyweights are the main attraction in all combat sports so creating an all-heavyweight card seems perfect, right?  

But could this instead create the perfect storm?  Will we regret out indulgence in what we love the most? 

Probably not.  This actually may be a good thing for the division.  The main benefit I see is that this card, and the rest of the heavyweight fights this month, including the Strikeforce Grand Prix, puts the top 10 giants on the same schedule. 

The top 10 will shift all in one month and they’ll all be ready for another one in September. 

This is very similar to what occurred last year in May and June.  The Strikeforce Grand Prix hosted Overeem versus Werdum which had half of the top 10 on June 18.  And the UFC held multiple events in which the rest of the best heavyweights squared off all in the same month. 

Although they weren’t on the exact same card, it will have the same effect. 

Not only will we see a complete shift among the top 10, but we may also have an insurgence of young talent into the pool of relevant contenders. 

The Strikeforce Grand Prix finale, between Josh Barnett and Daniel Cormier, will take place seven days prior to the mega UFC event.  I wouldn’t be surprised if Zuffa crowns the winner of this match the last Strikeforce heavyweight champion and matches him up with the UFC champion to unify the belts. 

This would exemplify the benefit of having them all on the same schedule.  It would also allow the promotion to hold another mega card like this in September or October if this setup proves to be successful. 

Plus we can expect a lineup of devastating knockouts since some of the most ferocious fighters reside in this division.  The 10 heavyweights on the UFC 146 card are collectively responsible for 52 knockouts.  This number almost doubles if you include heavyweights that also fight this month. 

Don’t expect problems from UFC 146.  Expect excitement not only for Saturday, May 26 but also for the heavyweight division for the rest of 2012.

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UFC 146 Injury Switcheroo: Roy Nelson Now Facing Dave Herman, Jamie Varner Returns Against Edson Barboza


(Just don’t come between Dave and his cubs.)

A pair of injuries have led to even more changes to the already chaotic UFC 146 lineup. As confirmed last night, heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson, and will be replaced by Dave Herman, who suffered a TKO loss to Stefan Struve in his last Octagon appearance. This is the second opponent switch for Nelson, who was originally supposed to face Antonio Silva on the “Dos Santos vs. Mir” card.

Meanwhile in the prelims, lightweight contender Evan Dunham is out of his fight against undefeated rising star Edson Barboza, and will be replaced by former WEC champ Jamie Varner. Since exiting the WEC after going 0-3-1 in 2010, Varner has won three of four fights outside the Zuffa fold, most recently stopping Drew Fickett in 40 seconds at XFC 16. However, all of Varner’s recent fights have come at 160-170 pounds, and one of those matches resulted in a loss to Dakota Cochrane, of all people. Will Varner be at a disadvantage trying to make 155 again on short notice? Will it even matter, considering that Barboza vs. Varner is the biggest UFC squash match of the year?

UFC 146 goes down May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The current (but probably not final) lineup is after the jump…


(Just don’t come between Dave and his cubs.)

A pair of injuries have led to even more changes to the already chaotic UFC 146 lineup. As confirmed last night, heavyweight Gabriel Gonzaga has been forced to withdraw from his scheduled fight against Roy Nelson, and will be replaced by Dave Herman, who suffered a TKO loss to Stefan Struve in his last Octagon appearance. This is the second opponent switch for Nelson, who was originally supposed to face Antonio Silva on the “Dos Santos vs. Mir” card.

Meanwhile in the prelims, lightweight contender Evan Dunham is out of his fight against undefeated rising star Edson Barboza, and will be replaced by former WEC champ Jamie Varner. Since exiting the WEC after going 0-3-1 in 2010, Varner has won three of four fights outside the Zuffa fold, most recently stopping Drew Fickett in 40 seconds at XFC 16. However, all of Varner’s recent fights have come at 160-170 pounds, and one of those matches resulted in a loss to Dakota Cochrane, of all people. Will Varner be at a disadvantage trying to make 155 again on short notice? Will it even matter, considering that Barboza vs. Varner is the biggest UFC squash match of the year?

UFC 146 goes down May 26th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The current (but probably not final) lineup is after the jump…

Main Card (PPV)
Junior dos Santos vs. Frank Mir
Cain Velasquez vs. Antonio Silva
Shane del Rosario vs. Stipe Miocic
Roy Nelson vs. Dave Herman
Mark Hunt vs. Stefan Struve

Preliminary Card (FX)
Diego Brandao vs. Darren Elkins
Edson Barboza vs. Jamie Varner
Jason Miller vs. C.B. Dollaway
Jacob Volkmann vs Paul Sass

Preliminary Card (Facebook)
Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig
Kyle Kingsbury vs. Glover Teixeira
Mike Brown vs. Daniel Pineda


(Varner does his happy-dance after scoring the only UFC win of his career, against Jason Gilliam back at UFC 68 in March 2007.)

UFC: Will Losing Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem Haunt the HW Division?

Nine months. That’s the length of the suspension handed out by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to former Strikeforce and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem for his elevated testosterone to epitestosterone level in his UFC 146 pre-fight drug test. As a …

Nine months. That’s the length of the suspension handed out by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to former Strikeforce and K-1 champion Alistair Overeem for his elevated testosterone to epitestosterone level in his UFC 146 pre-fight drug test.

As a result of the test, Overeem was pulled from the heavyweight title fight against current champion Junior dos Santos, essentially pulling the air out of the all-heavyweight pay-per-view card.

Instead of the hyped match-up between dos Santos’ boxing prowess and Overeem’s world-class kickboxing, the Brazilian will now take on former champion, and submission specialist, Frank Mir.

The ripple effect did not stop there. Mir was slated to face another former champion in the co-main event, Cain Velasquez. With Mir taking on dos Santos, Velasquez will welcome former Strikeforce combatant Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva to the Octagon.

As such, Silva’s original opponent, Roy Nelson, will take on Gabriel Gonzaga. But it doesn’t stop there, Gonzaga was set to face another UFC newcomer, Shane Del Rosario. The former Strikeforce fighter will now face fellow undefeated prospect, Stipe Miocic thanks to all of the shuffling.

Did you get all of that?

The shock waves caused by Overeem’s removal have created a very unclear title picture for the division. The Mir/Velasquez winner was slated to be the next challenger for the belt, but now the co-main event features two fighters coming off losses in their last bouts. Selling either fighter—Velasquez or Silva—as the next contender may prove to be difficult for the promotion.

Further complicating things is the fact that Overeem can return to competition in December. The failed test is an obvious black eye for the fighter and the promotion, but denying “The Reem’s” fighting abilities is difficult. Should he be forced to start at the bottom of the ladder when he returns? Or should he be given the title shot he earned prior to the failed test?

Whatever the UFC decides, the events that have unfolded over the last month have left the division in a state of disarray. One can only hope that on May 26, the heavyweight title picture will sort itself out in the best way possible, inside the Octagon.

 

Rob Tatum is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can also find Rob’s work at The MMA Corner. For anything related to MMA, follow him on Twitter.

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