Tag: UFC 150

UFC 150 Results: Questions Heading into UFC 151 Jon Jones vs Dan Henderson Card

UFC 150 is in the books and Benson Henderson has retained his title in what will be a highly debated decision.Now that the lightweight picture has been decided and we know that Henderson will face Nate Diaz in his next title defense, we can begin to lo…

UFC 150 is in the books and Benson Henderson has retained his title in what will be a highly debated decision.

Now that the lightweight picture has been decided and we know that Henderson will face Nate Diaz in his next title defense, we can begin to look toward the next UFC event, UFC 151, which will take place on September 1 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. 

First, the full results from UFC 150:

Benson Henderson defeats Frankie Edgar via split decision (46-49, 48-47, 48-47)

Donald Cerrone defeats Melvin Guillard via knockout at 1:16 of Round 1

Jake Shields defeats Ed Herman via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Yushin Okami defeats Buddy Roberts via TKO at  3:05 of Round 2

Max Holloway defeats Justin Lawrence via TKO at 4:49 of Round 2

Dennis Bermudez defeats Tommy Hayden via submission at 4:43 of Round 1

 Michael Kuiper defeats Jared Hamman via TKO at 2:16 of Round 2

Erik Perez defeats Ken Stone via TKO at 0:17 of Round 1

Chico Camus defeats Dustin Pague via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Nik Lentz defeats Eiji Mitsuoka via TKO at 3:45 of Round 1

Now, on to the questions we have heading into UFC 151.

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UFC 150 Results: Yushin Okami and Jake Shields Need Better Striking

Jake Shields and Yushin Okami both did what they were supposed to by winning their fights tonight with high-level grappling. Both also showed little to no improvement in a component of fighting that has always been their weak points: striking. Okami go…

Jake Shields and Yushin Okami both did what they were supposed to by winning their fights tonight with high-level grappling.

Both also showed little to no improvement in a component of fighting that has always been their weak points: striking.

Okami got nailed by his opponent’s jab and lead hook many times during the fight. This is particularly concerning since a southpaw fighter is better defended against attacks from the lead hand of an orthodox fighter.

Joe Rogan may have exaggerated how badly Roberts had Okami hurt at times, but it was clear that had the fight stayed on the feet, Okami would have gotten into more trouble.

Shields spent less time striking than Okami did, but it still seemed like he had nothing to offer but his lead roundhouse kick. And since Shields doesn’t have great offensive wrestling, he’s going to end up spending more time on the feet in his next middleweight bouts.

Every fight starts on the feet, and striking is where the fight stays when takedowns fail. Pure grapplers, no matter how brilliantly skilled they are, can not become UFC champions.

They won the fights, yeah, but they looked unimproved

It’s impossible to learn striking overnight, but it’s very important to train it nonetheless. Neither of these guys are going to stand a chance against the best few fighters of the division—let alone Silva—if they can’t get their striking up to par.

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UFC 150 Results: What’s Next for Dennis Bermudez?

Dennis Bermudez showed heart tonight, as well as submission ability. Bermudez, who fought Tommy Hayden, recovered from a knee to the head to choke out Hayden with a guillotine choke in the first round.Bermudez, a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter, has pr…

Dennis Bermudez showed heart tonight, as well as submission ability. Bermudez, who fought Tommy Hayden, recovered from a knee to the head to choke out Hayden with a guillotine choke in the first round.

Bermudez, a veteran of The Ultimate Fighter, has proven to be a legitimately tough featherweight. He has shown that he can take punishment in his TUF entry bout with Jimmie Rivera and his absorption of a knockout knee that Hayden threw.

From here, what’s next for Dennis Bermudez? Does he earn himself a top challenge or does he continue his build up with mid-tier talent?

Diego Brandao beat him in the TUF finale, but faltered in his second fight with Darren Elkins. Bermudez, on the other hand, beat Pablo Garza and Tommy Hayden since the finale.

If it were up to me, I would give Bermudez a top-10 opponent. But seeing that he is a developmental prospect, I doubt the UFC would give The Menace” a challenge that tough.

A fight with fellow TUF competitor Steven Siler would be plausible, as he is on a tear, but also on the brink. It would be a style contrast with fight night bonus capability.

A meeting with Manny Gamburyan, a borderline top-10 guy, would make sense in the development of his career. Gamburyan is a heavy hitter with a good ground game that would really test Berbudez’s full arsenal.

He may not be elite, but he is tough. He could definitely show us some serious potential in a big fight.

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UFC 150: What We Learned from Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard

Donald Cerrone battled Ultimate Fighter star Melvin Guillard in the evening’s co-main event. Both men were in the hunt for the belt in 2011, but losses shut down their momentum. Looking for their second win in 2012, the bout between lightweig…

Donald Cerrone battled Ultimate Fighter star Melvin Guillard in the evening’s co-main event. Both men were in the hunt for the belt in 2011, but losses shut down their momentum. Looking for their second win in 2012, the bout between lightweight contenders is one we will remember for a long time. 

As former training partners under Greg Jackson, Cerrone and Guillard have spent a lot of time training together, and Cerrone reportedly got the better of those encounters.

 

What We’ll Remember about This Fight: 

The excitement. Guillard hurt Cerrone badly early in the first round, and Cowboy showed his ability to fight through adversity with a major head kick. One big punch later and it’s all over, only 1:16 into the first round.

 

What We Learned about Donald Cerrone:

The amazing finishing power of Donald Cerrone. We all knew that he was a dangerous creature on the ground, but to knock out a brilliant striker like Guillard is an incredible feat.

 

What We Learned about Melvin Guillard:

That submissions aren’t the only way he can lose. We can’t forget that his loss to Joe Lauzon was technically by submission, although a big punch wobbled Guillard and set it all up.

 

What’s Next for Donald Cerrone:

Anthony Pettis. Cerrone wants this fight, and he earned it with this performance tonight.

 

What’s Next for Melvin Guillard:

A record of 1-3 in his last few fights, plus missing weight for tonight’s contest are not factors that shine in his favor. Stepping up on short notice against an elite fighter will keep him off of the chopping block, but he will likely get a big step down in competition. 

Melvin should fight someone like Terry Etim or Jamie Varner in his next fight.

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UFC 150: What We Learned from Jake Shields vs. Ed Herman

Much to the disapproval of the Denver crowd, Jake Shields walked away from UFC 150 with a unanimous decision victory over Ed “Short Fuse” Herman.It wasn’t the prettiest fight, but Shields managed to spend most of it in top position, and that was enough…

Much to the disapproval of the Denver crowd, Jake Shields walked away from UFC 150 with a unanimous decision victory over Ed “Short Fuse” Herman.

It wasn’t the prettiest fight, but Shields managed to spend most of it in top position, and that was enough to pull out the win. Although he did control most of the fight, Shields was unable to come close to finishing Herman, only putting him in notable danger once with a kimura.

Herman looked good on the feet and in the clinch, but was unable to stuff Shield’s takedowns.

 

What We’ll Remember about This Fight:

Um…that Shields won it, I guess.

No particular moment in the fight stood out as memorable. This is a bout that will be remembered more as a statistic than a performance.

 

What We Learned about Jake Shields:

Middleweight is the right place for him.

Shields fought four times at welterweight in the UFC and looked unimpressive in all four fights. He didn’t have a totally impressive performance against Herman either, but he definitely looked more comfortable than at 170 pounds, and his cardio looked better than it has.

 

What We Learned about Ed Herman:

He might not be a threat for this title, but Herman could wind up being a top-10 middleweight. He didn’t fight smart tonight, and that cost him, but he is well-rounded and hung in there on the mat with one of the sports best Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners.

 

What’s Next for Shields:

I know the UFC doesn’t like to do winner vs. loser matchups, but I think Shields vs. Hector Lombard would be a good fight.

 

What’s Next for Herman:

Court McGee makes sense.

 

Andrew Barr is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a stand-up comedian. Check him out on Twitter @AndrewBarr8.

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UFC 150 Results: Donald Cerrone Defeats Melvin Guillard

Donald Cerrone was viewed as a heavy favorite going in to his bout with Melvin Guillard at UFC 150, and he didn’t disappoint, knocking out his opponent just over one minute into the fight. It was an important fight for both guys, as they look to move b…

Donald Cerrone was viewed as a heavy favorite going in to his bout with Melvin Guillard at UFC 150, and he didn’t disappoint, knocking out his opponent just over one minute into the fight.

It was an important fight for both guys, as they look to move back up the ladder in the competitive division after recent losses. Cerrone had dropped a fight to Nate Diaz while Guillard lost to Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon.

But only one of them could walk out of the Octagon with the victory, and Cerrone was the one who stepped up to earn it. He has now won two consecutive fights after knocking off Jeremy Stephens back in May.

Cerrone was almost exclusively a submission specialist in the early portion of his MMA career, and while that’s obviously still a big part of his approach, he’s added more versatility recently to make him a tougher fighter to face.

It’s the type of adjustment that should help the 29-year-old American have a much better chance to make his way up the lightweight ranks. One-dimensional fighters can survive for a while, but as the competition gets tougher, it’s difficult to win with a singular approach.

Give credit to Cerrone for recognizing that and working to get better. It’s still a work in progress, but he’s trending in the right direction once again.

The news isn’t so positive for Guillard. He’s now lost three of his past four fights and none of them came against truly elite competition. Every loss digs a bigger hole he will eventually have to get out of at some point.

It was a tough matchup for him, but the good fighters always find a way to win even when the opponent’s strengths are an issue. Guillard wasn’t able to do that on Saturday night.

Although he has plenty of talent, as he has shown throughout his career, he seems to have hit a lull recently and can’t figure out a way to end it. He has to adjust his approach in one way or another to start getting back in the win column consistently.

Cerrone made sure he wasn’t able to start any type of winning streak at UFC 150 and should emerge as one of the night’s biggest winners.

 

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