Not all fights are created equal. That’s the reason why Dana White and Co. started giving away cash prizes to the duo who put on the best bout of the night.On a night where the main card was slightly shuffled and had a lot of gold on the line, fans wer…
Not all fights are created equal. That’s the reason why Dana White and Co. started giving away cash prizes to the duo who put on the best bout of the night.
On a night where the main card was slightly shuffled and had a lot of gold on the line, fans were expecting their money’s worth when the UFC 152 Pay-Per-View began.
Five fights occurred on the main card and each one had its own strengths and weaknesses. Some will be memorable for their exciting action. A couple aren’t going to mean much in the long run, but some made an undeniable imprint on the sport.
Here is the power ranking of UFC 152’s main card bouts.
According to reports, the arm-bar which almost ended Jon Jones’ reign as UFC light heavyweight champion in his match with Vitor Belfort last Saturday could lead to a lengthy layoff. In the post-fight press conference, as reported by ESPN, J…
According to reports, the arm-bar which almost ended Jon Jones’ reign as UFC light heavyweight champion in his match with VitorBelfort last Saturday could lead to a lengthy layoff.
In the post-fight press conference, as reported by ESPN, Jones speculated that the arm-bar likely caused nerve damage, which is a serious injury if true.
That would mean we could be waiting a long time before we see him squaring off against Dan Henderson, himself out with a knee injury, or LyotoMachida, who was promised a title shot after he beat Ryan Bader in August.
Injuries have beset the UFC in recent years, with some of the promotion’s top fighters, such as George St. Pierre and Jose Aldo, all still on the sidelines awaiting rehabilitation.
The consequences of Jones’ injury could mean the loss of one of the UFC’s biggest draws and a log jam in the division until he comes back.
That has been the fate of the welterweight division after GSP injured himself almost a year ago and is yet to see Octagon action.
The repercussions have been that none of the chasing welterweight pack, such as Carlos Condit or Johny Hendricks, have dared step into the Octagon, lest they risk losing their contenders spot.
Similarly, we may see that at 205, with the champion on the sidelines, other fighters may also pull themselves out of action.
For one, Henderson, even if he does return from injury before Jones, is likely to wait it out rather than risk losing his spot by taking another fight. That’s exactly what he did when he beat Mauricio Rua to earn his title shot last year—choosing to wait to see who the winner of Jones vs. Rashad Evans was in April rather than taking another fight.
Machida could also reach a similar decision. Even though “the Dragon” is expected to face another opponent before being named a challenger for the light heavyweight title, if that fight happens before the end of the year as expected, then he may also wait as long as it takes for Jones to return before choosing his next opponent.
It is always a problem for a promotion when a title-holder gets injured, and crowning an interim champion is never a satisfactory solution. But the much bigger problem is what happens to the rest of the division when all the top fighters decide to wait anxiously before deciding their next move.
If the GSP example is anything to go by, it could be a massive loss in revenue for the UFC. The Canadian has been the biggest star draw for the promotion and his loss has hit revenues hard.
A similar fate for the UFC’s rising star, Jon Jones, could be equally costly.
However, thankfully for the UFC, GSP is set to return to action in November in a much anticipated title fight against Carlos Condit. His return could easily compensate for any loss incurred by a Jones injury. What’s more, if GSP defeats Condit, then there’s the potential of a super-fight with Anderson Silva just around the corner.
So while the UFC will miss Jones, it may not turn out to be that big of a deal.
KhurramAziz is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @khurramaziz1981
MMA writers, including me, were perplexed by the UFC’s decision to bring Vitor Belfort in to face Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title. The Brazilian hadn’t fought at that weight class in years, and even back in his prime, he didn&rsqu…
MMA writers, including me, were perplexed by the UFC’s decision to bring Vitor Belfort in to face Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title.
The Brazilian hadn’t fought at that weight class in years, and even back in his prime, he didn’t have the best record at 205. His title win against Randy Couture in 2004 only came about due to an unfortunate cut to Couture’s eye, and in the next match, “the Natural” beat Belfort soundly.
Now at 35, what sense did it make to pit him against the young, irrepressible, Jones?
Considering the tenacity with which he fought last Saturday, it made every sense in the world.
Here are three reasons why the fight exceeded all expectations.
At the end of a long night in Toronto, Canada, with two back-to-back championship fights, a prelim match between Evan Dunham and TJ Grant was crowned fight of the night.That seems like a just reward for the two fighters whose match was demoted to preli…
At the end of a long night in Toronto, Canada, with two back-to-back championship fights, a prelim match between Evan Dunham and TJ Grant was crowned fight of the night.
That seems like a just reward for the two fighters whose match was demoted to prelim status as Jon Jones was hastily cast as the headline match to defend his title against VitorBelfort.
It was a gore fest between the two lightweights which left Dunham a bloody mess and Grant looking like a top contender in the division.
However, there were four other fights that could have contended for fight of the night status. Here they are…
After UFC 152 last Saturday, the dust can be said to have finally settled on all the uproar surrounding Jon Jones’ decision not to fight late replacement Chael Sonnen, the cancellation of UFC 151 and the deciding of the UFC’s inaugural flyweight champi…
After UFC 152 last Saturday, the dust can be said to have finally settled on all the uproar surrounding Jon Jones’ decision not to fight late replacement Chael Sonnen, the cancellation of UFC 151 and the deciding of the UFC’s inaugural flyweight championship.
There’s much to reflect upon in the aftermath of what was a mixed card which delivered both highs and lows.
Here’s a power ranking of the five main-card fights.
Denis Kang, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Gerald Harris, Houston Alexander, Brandon Vera and now Jimy Hettes and Charles Oliveira. All of these men (and far too many others to list) were once considered next big things or were indisputably the heir-ap…
Denis Kang, Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Gerald Harris, Houston Alexander, Brandon Vera and now JimyHettes and Charles Oliveira.
All of these men (and far too many others to list) were once considered next big things or were indisputably the heir-apparents to their respective weight-class titles. Of course, none of them lived up to expectations.
They were all exposed at one time or another for what they were—mortal, human.
The problem with these fighters, or at least most of them, wasn’t that they were bad fighters, it was just that MMA fans (and in some cases UFC marketing) hyped the fighter up to such a degree that nothing they could do in the Octagon, save for a Mortal Kombat-esque “Brutality” finish, could fulfill all the prophecies that were made.
Sokoudjou was supposed to be the greatest light heavyweight in the world but he had fewer than 10 fights; Brandon Vera was fated to be both the UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champ.
Just so, UFC 152 combatants Charles Oliveira and JimyHettes were supposed to be the future in their divisions.
Oliveira‘s Jiu-Jitsu prowess was supposed to carry him to the top, yet after his recent loss to Cub Swanson, he’s only 2-3 (1 NC) in his last six.
Hettes ran through yet another man who deserves to go on the list of overhyped prospects—Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres. Hettes then embarrassed a proven commodity in Nam Phan.
So strong was the Hettes hype that his match against Marcus Brimage was supposed to resemble something along the lines of a pro-wrestling squash match (the Undertaker vs. random jobbers comes to mind).
However, Brimage made Hettes look, well, like a young, inexperienced fighter who hasn’t been tested yet—and that’s what Hettes has been the whole time, but nobody realized it due to the hype machine.
Hype is a dangerous thing. It gets fans to think fighters are nearing godliness. Then, when the hyped fighter loses, he suffers a tremendous decrease in popularity that he likely never recovers from.
Therefore, it’d be best if MMA fans (and pundits) just toned it down regarding the hyping of fighters; the future of the sport’s young stars depends on it.
According to reports, the arm-bar which almost ended