Tag: UFC 146

Where Will UFC 146 Rank Among the Best Cards in UFC History?

Since its announcement earlier this week, UFC 146 has become one of the anticipated events of this year, featuring a few pivotal heavyweight bouts.With Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem headlining the main card, and Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir se…

Since its announcement earlier this week, UFC 146 has become one of the anticipated events of this year, featuring a few pivotal heavyweight bouts.

With Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem headlining the main card, and Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir securing the co-main event slot, it is evident the UFC is relying on their heavyweight stars to carry the spotlight and gain more exposure.

This was a smart move from the UFC, and it will likely keep fans more involved in the division, as the next heavyweight challenger will be determined for a future bout with the champion.

The UFC heavyweight division has not received this amount of attention in recent memory, as it was long considered a weak and talentless division. But with the emergence of fighters like dos Santos, Velasquez and Overeem, the division has suddenly become relevant and one of the more entertaining weight classes to watch.

This new breed of heavyweight fighters has sparked life into a stagnant division, once reigned by former UFC heavyweight champion, Brock Lesnar, and has remained stable in his absence. For once, fighters competing over 205 pounds are more than just big, powerful behemoths, and actually possess technique and skill to make bouts more enjoyable to watch.

UFC 146 will receive it’s fair share of publicity within weeks leading up to the event and it could very likely surpass all expectations. 

If the heavyweight division intends on standing alone as a credible, premier weight class, this will be the event to prove its legitimacy in mixed martial arts.

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UFC 146: Breakdown of Every Heavyweight Fight

UFC 146 is literally one of the biggest cards of the year, featuring four heavyweight bouts that will restructure the heavyweight division from top to bottom. Shane Del Rosario vs. Gabriel Gonzaga Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva Cain Velasquez vs. Fr…

UFC 146 is literally one of the biggest cards of the year, featuring four heavyweight bouts that will restructure the heavyweight division from top to bottom.

Shane Del Rosario vs. Gabriel Gonzaga

Roy Nelson vs. Antonio Silva

Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir

Alistair Overeem vs. Junior dos Santos (c) for the Heavyweight Title 

UFC 146 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Casion in Las Vegas, Nevada on May 26th, 2012.

So let’s just cut to the chase and get the breaking down started!

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UFC 146: Is This Dan Hardy’s Last Chance with the UFC?

If Dan Hardy loses at UFC 146 against Duane Ludwig, even if the fight is exciting, he will be cut from the UFC.Hardy is an exciting fighter and a great marketing tool as far as being a top British MMA fighter, but he is in the fight business and to com…

If Dan Hardy loses at UFC 146 against Duane Ludwig, even if the fight is exciting, he will be cut from the UFC.

Hardy is an exciting fighter and a great marketing tool as far as being a top British MMA fighter, but he is in the fight business and to compete at the top level you have to win. Hardy has lost his last four.

It is easy to think that Hardy might have another shot with the UFC. He has sold fights for them consistently and knows how to deliver a thrilling performance. He just doesn’t know how to give a great fight and win.

Even if Hardy has a close fight at UFC 146 but loses, the company has to fire him. It is a matter of perception and principle. Fans come to see the UFC at its pinnacle. 

To some casual fans the UFC is MMA. They don’t know about the smaller organizations and don’t pay attention to them even if they do.

If the UFC allows fighters like Hardy to stay on because they are favorites it will damage that reputation.

It will also harm the relationship it has with its fighters. No-name fighters have been cut for as much as one or two losses in a row. Sometimes they are cut if they lose two out of three bouts. Having to watch Hardy lose four fights and stay employed could grind on some of them.

While it is ultimately the UFC’s decision on who to keep, that kind of ill will won’t help nurture a healthy company atmosphere if Hardy remains.

Of course, if Hardy wins, then it doesn’t matter, and this time, the UFC is making it easy for him.

Ludwig is a Muay Thai striker and not a wrestler. That doesn’t mean he isn’t an impressive striker. Ludwig had an entire kickboxing career before he came into MMA or the UFC, but he isn’t a grappler.

While Hardy lost by knockout in his fight with Condit, a bout that never saw the ground, all three of his other losses he was beaten by men who knew how to take him down. In two of them he lost because of dominant wrestling.

Dan Hardy isn’t a fan of wrestling in MMA and has been vocal about it, as shown in an article posted by MMAFighting.com. He even mentioned that he wanted wrestlers who take people down, but don’t try to submit them or knock them out to be deducted points.

Hardy doesn’t like wrestling and it’s obvious why. He hasn’t beaten anyone in the Octagon who would be considered a top wrestler.

Now he is being given an opponent who will stand and trade with him. Something that Hardy is good at—but it’s a double-edged sword. Hardy has the kind of fight he wants, he just has to win it. If he can’t do that then the UFC can’t use him.

And at five losses in a row it will take Hardy some time to try and make it back to the top again.

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UFC 146: Dan Hardy vs. Duane Ludwig

In a sport built on opposing styles, it’s nice to see a few of these kind of matchups every now and then. At UFC 146, welterweight notables Duane Ludwig and former contender Dan Hardy will meet in a pivotal battle, one that will likely …

In a sport built on opposing styles, it’s nice to see a few of these kind of matchups every now and then.

At UFC 146, welterweight notables Duane Ludwig and former contender Dan Hardy will meet in a pivotal battle, one that will likely decide Hardy’s immediate future in the sport.

In dire straits, “The Outlaw” is on a career-worst four-fight skid and will look for his first win in more than two years. Ludwig is also reeling from defeat, having suffered a submission loss to Josh Neer in his last UFC appearance.

Two heavy-handed strikers who are seeking victory—what’s better than that?

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Head-to-Toe Breakdown: Cain Velasquez vs. Frank Mir

Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir will fight for the right to contend for the heavyweight title at UFC 146. The two men have taken different paths to this matchup.Velasquez was the champion until Junior dos Santos floored him in just over a minute into thei…

Cain Velasquez and Frank Mir will fight for the right to contend for the heavyweight title at UFC 146. The two men have taken different paths to this matchup.

Velasquez was the champion until Junior dos Santos floored him in just over a minute into their historic bout. Prior to that, Velasquez had ran through much of the heavyweight division.

Mir has been on a four-fight winning streak that saw him defeat two of MMA‘s legends in Mirko “Cro Cop” and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira along with heavyweight contenders like Roy Nelson and Cheick Kongo.

Both men bring their own strengths and weaknesses into this title eliminator so the question will be: who can take advantage of the other’s weaknesses?

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UFC 146 Fight Card: Roy Nelson and Antonio Silva to Meet at UFC 146 in Las Vegas

Scratch the “liking” of Roy Nelson’s Facebook page to make him drop to light heavyweight—he will fight at least once more in the heavyweight division.Nelson (16-7) is now scheduled to welcome another Strikeforce heavyweight into the UFC when he f…

Scratch the “liking” of Roy Nelson’s Facebook page to make him drop to light heavyweight—he will fight at least once more in the heavyweight division.

Nelson (16-7) is now scheduled to welcome another Strikeforce heavyweight into the UFC when he faces Antonio Silva (16-3) at UFC 146 in Las Vegas on May 26th.

Nelson started a Facebook campaign to help gain 100,000 more likes on his Facebook page, and if it happened, Nelson said he would drop to 205 pounds. It didn’t take long for the page to swell up with “likes” and get super close to the goal.

Unfortunately though, the call for him to drop to 205 will be postponed—at least for now—in favor of a matchup against Silva.

Nelson is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to Fabricio Werdum at UFC 143 in February. This could be a must-win fight for Nelson who has currently lost three of his last four fights in the UFC and has lost five of his last eight fights in MMA.

Silva on the other hand hasn’t fought since his loss to Daniel Cormier in the semifinals of the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix when Cormier KO’d the behemoth in the first round. Silva was originally slated to fight No. 1 contender for the UFC heavyweight belt, Alistair Overeem, before Overeem switched promotions.

UFC 146 is headlined by a heavyweight title bout between Overeem and current UFC heavyweight champion, Junior dos Santos. The main card will be aired on pay-per-view while the undercard will be live on FX.

UFC 146 is expected to take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

 

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