UFC 155 was not the finest hour for Chris Leben.In fact, the entire year of 2012 is probably one Leben might wish to forget. The hard-hitting fan favorite rode the metaphorical pine all year after testing positive for painkillers in November 2011,…
In fact, the entire year of 2012 is probably one Leben might wish to forget. The hard-hitting fan favorite rode the metaphorical pine all year after testing positive for painkillers in November 2011, and when he came back Saturday night, he dropped a unanimous decision to UFC debutante Derek Brunson in a 15-minute snoozefest that saw both men gas badly and fail to consistently display any notable offense of any kind.
Unfortunately, last November wasn’t the setting of Leben’s first positive drug test. But if he turns in another performance like the one he turned in Saturday night, it could be the last.
Leben (22-9) is now 32 years old, but may be more advanced in corporeal terms because of all those odometer clicks he’s put on himself over the years, thanks to all those fights and all those struggles with substance abuse.
Personally, though, I don’t want to see Leben go out like this. He has captured the hearts and minds of many, many people who love his brawling style and thunderous fists or recognize his personal demons as their own.
Nevertheless, he’ll need to do better his next time out. A lot better. Here are five middleweights who could provide a solid litmus test for “The Crippler.”
If you’re one of those death-defying gamblers who have nothing better to do than burn money, count your winnings.Nobody could have guessed, or imagined, that Cain Velasquez would lay an absolute beatdown on Junior dos Santos for five straight rounds at…
If you’re one of those death-defying gamblers who have nothing better to do than burn money, count your winnings.
Nobody could have guessed, or imagined, that Cain Velasquez would lay an absolute beatdown on Junior dos Santos for five straight rounds at UFC 155.
It was like watching a train derail off of its tracks. It was hard to watch and difficult to understand but was absolutely something that your eyes needed to witness.
Whatever the reason may be for dos Santos producing such an erratic dud on Saturday night, the future is still bright. People are going to make a case for him being overrated and one-dimensional with his boxing, but the fact of the matter is that he’s still the only fighter to ever stop Velasquez in his tracks.
Sure, the new champion got his revenge in a fashion similar to guerrilla warfare, but Velasquez was simply unable to finish dos Santos. The fact that JDS wasn’t finished speaks wonders of his heart and his dedication to the sport.
Not to mention, his chin resembled that of fellow Brazilian Fabio Maldonado.
In any case, despite being thrown around like one of those old wrestler pillows that you used to drop elbows on when you were 10 years old, dos Santos’ career is not in jeopardy. He’s still the guy who deciphered Shane Carwin, Frank Mir, Roy Nelson and Fabricio Werdum. He’s still the guy who won his first nine UFC fights, finishing seven of them in the process.
Whichever way you look at it, this loss is not going to hinder the progress and potential of JDS heading into the future. Fighters often have one fight in their careers that puts their focus and ability into perspective.
This loss to Velasquez is exactly that for dos Santos.
It’s going to make him a stronger fighter, one that is truly focused on revenge and recapturing UFC glory, which is a mentality that has done wonders in the past for some of the best fighters in the world. Velasquez is a perfect example.
So while people will pick apart dos Santos’ game heading into any fight that he has in the future and hint on the notion that once he’s taken down, he’ll never recover, that’s something that I wouldn’t take to heart. It’s simply a belief that should be dumped on your french fries with the other grains of salt.
For what it’s worth, “Cigano” is still at that age when fixing your problems as a fighter could translate into another title run. As long as he can keep his focus, work on his grappling skills and wait in the wings for the loser of Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva, JDS will be back for another shot at Velasquez by the end of 2013.
You don’t have to be a 250-pound freak of nature to put on a stellar showing inside the cage. Eddie Wineland and Brad Pickett proved that in their FX preliminary card capper on Saturday night. These two bantamweights reminded MMA followers that e…
You don’t have to be a 250-pound freak of nature to put on a stellar showing inside the cage. Eddie Wineland and Brad Pickett proved that in their FX preliminary card capper on Saturday night. These two bantamweights reminded MMA followers that elite striking prowess isn’t nonexistent in the sport of mixed martial arts, despite what elitists may have you believe.
Pickett, though not as technically refined as Wineland, is a very, very capable striker who strings together powerful punches and has a penchant for throwing heavy hooks when his foes opt to disengage. In contrast, Wineland is a precision striker through and through with some of the finest lateral movement you’ll spot in the sport, regardless of weight class.
For three rounds, these men engaged in a kickboxing match of thrilling magnitude. Grappling played virtually zero factor in the fight, as both Wineland and Pickett looked pleased to exchange punches for 15 minutes. The crowd reciprocated that pleasure with raucous cheers.
Ultimately it was Wineland who took home the W. He landed heavy in the first frame of this contest, wobbling his English opponent, and upheld an active offense for the remaining two rounds. Pickett came on strong in the fight’s final five minutes, and while he managed to tag Eddie with a few hard hooks, it was a bit too little, too late.
Wineland has now pieced together two consecutive victories under the Zuffa-owned UFC banner, and his next out will likely come against a top-ranked contender. Being the first man to knock Scott Jorgensen into unconsciousness was impressive; following that performance up with a masterful three-round decision win over Pickett makes for quite a statement. I can’t imagine that these performances have fallen on blind eyes.
It’s time for Eddie to reclaim a seat in the division’s Top Five.
Thus far Wineland’s only kryptonite looks to be superb wrestlers. Wineland and Urijah Faber tangled at UFC 128, with Faber escaping the bout with a unanimous decision nod. With longtime champ Dominick Cruz sidelined indefinitely, and interim champion Renan Pegado scheduled to fight the division’s brightest prospect—Michael McDonald—at UFC on FUEL TV 7, it might be best for Wineland to wait out the upcoming meeting between Faber and Ivan Menjivar at UFC 157.
If Faber emerges victorious—as many predict he will—a rematch would suit Eddie well, and provide a better barometer of exactly where his wrestling stands today. The first fight was a spirited affair, with Wineland hanging tough and shining on more than one occasion. Since that fight, Faber hasn’t looked profoundly improved, while Wineland looks like he may be hitting his prime a bit late. There’s no reason for these two not to meet once more inside the Octagon.
Should Faber fall to Menjivar, there’s no reason to avoid pairing Ivan and Eddie together. Menjivar’s a seasoned veteran with some great wins under his belt and some solid momentum in his favor. Outside of a decision loss to Mike Easton, he’s looked stellar in his last half-dozen fights, and like Eddie, he seems to have gotten a career second-wind.
I’d prefer to see Wineland tussle with Faber once more, but I’d be nearly as excited to see how Eddie fares against a guy as diverse as Ivan Menjivar.
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For the first time in a long time, the UFC’s tenured play-by-play commentator Mike Goldberg was absent from Joe Rogan’s side at a pay-per-view event.For undisclosed reasons, more personally than contractual, Goldberg was ultimately replaced by Jon Anik…
For the first time in a long time, the UFC’s tenured play-by-play commentator Mike Goldberg was absent from Joe Rogan’s side at a pay-per-view event.
For undisclosed reasons, more personally than contractual, Goldberg was ultimately replaced by Jon Anik, who is known for his work as lead announcer for UFC events on FX and Fuel TV.
Anik may be young and relatively new to the world of commentating MMA events, but the former ESPN anchor produced nonetheless at UFC 155.
Whether or not his dominating clutch performance, reminiscent of an around-the-cage Cain Velasquez, will lead to more PPV opportunities has yet to be seen.
Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon lived up to their reputations as aggressive finishers at UFC 155. While this co-main event bout would (surprisingly) last its allotted 15 minutes, leaving judges to determine the winner, both men fought to finish from the outs…
Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon lived up to their reputations as aggressive finishers at UFC 155. While this co-main event bout would (surprisingly) last its allotted 15 minutes, leaving judges to determine the winner, both men fought to finish from the outset of the fight.
Joe Lauzon was forced to battle through extreme diversity early, as Miller unleashed a hellacious attack, brutalizing “J-Lau” early with powerful punches and savage elbows. Lauzon, who himself is recognized as a remarkably fast starter was forced to lean on his defensive abilities in order to survive what appeared to be imminent first round defeat.
But Joe did survive.
Bloodied, and bruised, Lauzon answered the bell for the second round determined to return the favor. While he failed to inflict the measure of damage that Miller succeeded in, he landed some nice punches, worked well in the scrambles and had a few moments once the fight hit the mat.
He also maintained a high output offense throughout the course of the fight, which is something we don’t consistently see from Lauzon. If there’s been any major knock on the Massachusetts native, it’s been centered on his cardiovascular conditioning. Joe’s been known to be a berserker who fades outside of the seven- or eight-minute mark.
Not last night.
Miller kept himself one step ahead of Lauzon for the vast majority of the fight. His movement looked amazing, his pace was relentless and his will to win never wavered. But Joe attempted, valiantly, to match Jim’s attack. While he was incapable of delivering the same measure of offense, Joe never faded, he never wilted and he never once succumbed to the idea of defeat.
It was a gutsy performance from the known finisher. Unfortunately for Joe, he ran into a wrecking ball in Miller.
Jim turned in what may be the most impressive fight of his career last night. His striking, which has been one of the most aesthetically pleasing tools in his belt for years, looked sharper than ever before. He looked powerful, determined and intelligent, careful to avoid the heavy counters of his opponent, happy to counter those counters with quick combinations.
Miller held a clear wrestling advantage in this bout, but unlike a few of the…less than stimulating fights on the undercard (cough, cough, Okami vs. Belcher, Brunson vs. Leben), there was no thought of stalemates on the canvas. Miller kept busy with plenty of strikes, as he turned a half-inch cut over Lauzon’s right eye into a two-inch cut, and Lauzon consistently fished for potential submissions.
These two men brought their hearts into the octagon and left them there, along with every ounce of energy in their bodies, and, for Joe, damn near every ounce of blood. If that wasn’t a copious pouring of plasma, I just don’t know what is.
The two picked up an additional $65,000 and “Fight of the Night” honors, and they most certainly deserved such recognition. This was an action-packed bloody fight that unraveled at a frantic pace and completely stole the show. It may have been the big boys on center stage, but it was the lightweights who truly brought the crowd to life.
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After putting together quite possibly the most dominating performance ever in a UFC heavyweight championship bout, Cain Velasquez has in turn transformed into a quintessential untouchable prodigy.Opposite Junior dos Santos, the very man who knocked him…
After putting together quite possibly the most dominating performance ever in a UFC heavyweight championship bout, Cain Velasquez has in turn transformed into a quintessential untouchable prodigy.
Opposite Junior dos Santos, the very man who knocked him out 13 months ago and the very man who people considered unstoppable, Velasquez inflicted as much damage as a fighter could do without securing a finish.
Through five-straight rounds, the 30-year-old demolished dos Santos’ very essence as a punishing boxer. Velasquez beat him on the feet, against the cage, on the ground and in the clinch. More importantly, he beat him mentally.
Here’s an in-depth analysis and review of Velasquez’s dominance at UFC 155 en route to reclaiming the heavyweight title he lost last year.
If you’re one of those death-defying gamblers who have nothing better to do than burn money, count your winnings.