Tag: UFC 155

UFC 155: Who Is More Focused, Junior Dos Santos or Cain Velasquez?

In all honesty, we barely learned anything from the first fight between Junior dos Santos and then-UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1.That’s just the nature of flash knockouts.We already knew that JDS possessed serious power in han…

In all honesty, we barely learned anything from the first fight between Junior dos Santos and then-UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1.

That’s just the nature of flash knockouts.

We already knew that JDS possessed serious power in hands from victories against Gabriel Gonzaga, Gilbert Yvel, Stefan Struve and Fabricio Werdum. And while Velasquez had never been stopped on strikes before, just about any heavyweight would go down from a shot behind the ear.

That doesn’t leave much to ponder in the lead up to UFC 155, where both heavyweights will attempt to settle beyond a doubt whom the better fighter truly is.

What we can analyze, though, is how focused each man has seemed since that title fight.

The Smiling Champion

Junior dos Santos has been all smiles and sunshine, gleaming with the pride of bringing the UFC heavyweight title back home to Brazil. During various vignettes and previews, the champion has seemed to be his usual happy-go-lucky self.

Even during UFC 146, JDS wasn’t all business against Frank Mir, taking time to taunt the jiu-jitsu master after a failed submission attempt. Irregardless, the killer instinct was still there once JDS sensed the right moment to end the fight.

If JDS is letting the success get to his head, it’s clearly not a problem for the potent striker yet. But then again, it appears that his attention isn’t fully focused on the next task at hand.

The Shadow of “The Reem”

Despite the fact that international heavyweight superstar Alistair Overeem has been shuttled back into “the mix” following a positive test for elevated testosterone levels, dos Santos has spent more time talking about the Dutchman than anyone else.

Although Velasquez waits in the wings, and talks of a superfight with Jon Jones lurk in the background, JDS has been incensed about Overeem’s suspected drug use, calling his potential foe a cheater and worse during several pointed interviews. Amid all the talk, it’s obvious that JDS has a chip on his shoulder about performance enhancing drugs and their stranglehold on MMA.

But the question is, how much is that distracting the UFC champion? Moreover, will all that attention paid to such a distant rival come back to hurt JDS when he makes his next title defense?

The Angry Ex-Champion

Unlike dos Santos, former champion Velasquez is rarely grinning from ear to ear.

At the very least, the American Kickboxing Academy star seems viciously intent on reclaiming his lost title, and almost nothing in the heavyweight division has been as eye-opening as his brutal one-sided mauling of Antonio Silva at UFC 146 this past May.

For the better part of three minutes, Velasquez unleashed a lightning-paced onslaught all over Silva’s face in a tornado of fury, nearly turning “Bigfoot” into a murder victim. Inexplicably, the referee stoppage didn’t come until Silva was literally coated in blood, drowning under Velasquez’s assault.

If actions speak louder than words, the former champ is practically screaming at the top of his lungs.

Where JDS usually seems happy just to be living in the moment, and where Overeem seems content to ride out the storm, Velasquez simply looks like he wants to tear the world apart.

And at UFC 155, that might make all the difference.

McKinley Noble is an MMA conspiracy theorist and FightFans Radio writer. His work has appeared in GamePro, Macworld and PC World. Talk with him on Twitter.

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Flyweights John Moraga and Chris Cariaso Round Out UFC 155 Card

It appears that UFC 155 has its last fight scheduled.The end-of-the-year card, which is headlined by a UFC heavyweight championship bout between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, recently picked up a flyweight undercard fight between John Moraga an…

It appears that UFC 155 has its last fight scheduled.

The end-of-the-year card, which is headlined by a UFC heavyweight championship bout between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez, recently picked up a flyweight undercard fight between John Moraga and Chris Cariaso (via MMAJunkie.com).

The flyweight division is still very light in numbers, so this fight could play a big role in deciding who gets a title shot.

John Moraga has only had one fight with the UFC, but he was very impressive in his knockout win over Ulysses Gomez. Moraga comes from a wrestling base, but he used his dominant standup to pepper Gomez into a state of unconsciousness.

Moraga is 11-1. His only loss came against current top contender John Dodson by unanimous decision. No matter what happens in the flyweight championship fight (or this fight), you can bet Moraga wants another crack at Dodson.

Training out of Arizona Combat Sports and the MMA Lab in Arizona, you know Moraga is getting good training and training partners from the rapidly growing facilities.

As for Chris Cariaso, the former bantamweight made a successful flyweight debut in his last fight, in which he secured a dominant unanimous decision over Josh Ferguson. That was his fifth fight for the company since the WEC merged with the UFC.

Previous to that, Cariaso was considered a top bantamweight with the company. Under the UFC banner, Cariaso has defeated Takeya Mizugaki, Vaughan Lee and Will Campuzano at 135.

His only loss in the UFC came to Michael McDonald.

He also fought twice under the WEC banner, beating Rafael Rebello and falling to Renan Barao.

This is going to be a very good fight, so keep your eyes on UFC 155’s undercard. 

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UFC 155: JDS Wants to Beat Cain to Prove Hes ‘the Baddest Man on the Planet’

UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos may have already beat, Cain Velasquez, his upcoming opponent at UFC 155, but that doesn’t mean the power-punching Brazilian doesn’t have something to prove. In a pre-fight interview with the UFC, JDS expl…

UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos may have already beat, Cain Velasquez, his upcoming opponent at UFC 155, but that doesn’t mean the power-punching Brazilian doesn’t have something to prove. 

In a pre-fight interview with the UFC, JDS explains why a victory here is critical to solidify himself as one of the greatest UFC champions of all time (transcription via MMA Mania).

My dream was to become champion, the heavyweight champion, and now my dream to break records. I want to break all the records that I can…This fight I think is going to prove I’m the baddest man on the planet…I really think I’m going to knock him out again. It’s going to be a little longer, maybe the second or third round, but I think I’m going to knock him out again.

Dos Santos, who boasts a perfect 9-0 record under the UFC banner, won the heavyweight strap by knocking out Velasquez at the inaugural UFC on FOX event last November. 

He has since successfully defended his belt once, scoring a TKO win over Frank Mir at UFC 146 in May. 

Despite already earning a quick and decisive win over the former Arizona State Sun Devil, dos Santos gave high praise to the American Kickboxing Academy product. 

Cain Velasquez, he presents a lot of challenges for me. His cardio is the best cardio of the heavyweight division, he got really good skills fighting in the stand up. I think the best is his wrestling skills and his ground-and-pound.

Both well-rounded heavyweights have earned a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, though the biggest difference maker will be Velasquez’s takedowns versus JDS‘s takedown defense…if the fight lasts that long. 

What will happen at the rematch on Dec. 29? Will Velasquez be crowned champion for a second time, or will JDS successfully defend his title for the second time?

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Gray Maynard on Injury: "My Knee Was Bothering Me for Three Years"

Most people probably couldn’t tell by looking at him, but UFC lightweight Gray Maynard has been pushing through pain during a great deal of his career.During an interview with host Ariel Helwani on Fuel TV’s UFC Tonight, Maynard discussed at lengt…

Most people probably couldn’t tell by looking at him, but UFC lightweight Gray Maynard has been pushing through pain during a great deal of his career.

During an interview with host Ariel Helwani on Fuel TV‘s UFC Tonight, Maynard discussed at length the injury that eliminated him from a UFC 155 main card fight with Joe Lauzon on December 29th in Las Vegas.

Maynard cited that his knee had a medial tear and lateral tear, both further complied with additional injuries and years of scar tissue. Although he tried to push through the pain for two weeks, Maynard chose to make an early call before it got too close to UFC 155:

I had a hamstring issue and then I had the knee issue. I’m actually going to fly from here to get a scope on my knee. I’ll be out for a month, so [it] left me no time to train. [I] wanted to tell [the UFC] kinda early, not “late”-late. They got a great guy in for me. That’s gonna be an awesome fight.

It’s been bothering me for about three years, to be honest. Then it happened again about two weeks ago, and then the hamstring and the knee. It was just—I couldn’t train. At all.

Maynard speculated that he would need some time to get his knee checked out and “heal up a bit” before returning to training. By his own estimation, the lightweight title contender could be back in fighting shape by early February at the soonest.

Maynard noted that there are speculations about fights with Eddie Alvarez and Gilbert Melendez, but didn’t indicate that anything was in the works just yet. Helwani pressed Maynard for a prediction on the upcoming UFC lightweight title fight between champion Ben Henderson and challenger Nate Diaz, but “The Bully” couldn’t decide between them on the spot.

Maynard’s last fight in the Octagon resulted in a critically-panned bout against Clay Guida, who was criticized for avoiding exchanges with his heavy-handed opponent.

Maynard would win a close split-decision nonetheless, snapping a two-fight winless streak from failed bids at then-champion Frankie Edgar’s lightweight title.

Despite a 1-1-1 record in his last three fights, Maynard is still considered by many publications to be one of the top five lightweights on the UFC roster.

Prior to challenging Edgar for the UFC Lightweight Championship, “The Bully” racked up an impressive undefeated streak (10 wins and one no contest) against high-profile opponents. After losing a semifinal exhibition match against Nate Diaz in Season Five of The Ultimate Fighter, Maynard rebounded with victories over the likes of Kenny Florian, Jim Miller and Roger Huerta.

Notably, Maynard is one of only two men to have defeated Edgar (the other being current champion Henderson). He also defeated Nate Diaz in a January 2010 rematch during a UFC Fight Night event.

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Todd Duffee Returns to the UFC to Face Phil De Fries at UFC 155

TODD DUFFEEEEEE!!!That was the cry of MMA fans everywhere when Todd Duffee made his UFC debut with a stunning knockout win over Tim Hague at UFC 102. It was assumed that he would go on to become one of the biggest names in the UFC. But just as qui…

TODD DUFFEEEEEE!!!

That was the cry of MMA fans everywhere when Todd Duffee made his UFC debut with a stunning knockout win over Tim Hague at UFC 102. It was assumed that he would go on to become one of the biggest names in the UFC. 

But just as quickly as he became a household name, he dropped off the map. Duffee was handed his first career loss with a stunning late knockout from Mike Russow at UFC 114. Duffee was subsequently dropped from the promotion in September, 2010.

Since leaving the UFC, he has fought twice. 

His first fight outside of the organization was against Alistair Overeem for the Dream Heavyweight title. Duffee was defeated in 19 seconds and it was assumed that his talent was just another flash in the pan. 

But he was able to rebound against Neil Grove in the second Super Fight League show with a TKO victory in the first. 

That win was apparently enough to get another shot in the Octagon. 

The Las Vegas Sun reported the news earlier this afternoon. Duffee will face Phil De Fries at UFC 155. It’s his second chance to make a first impression. 

This is a sweetheart matchup for Duffee. De Fries is a competent grappler, but has only rudimentary striking. Duffee‘s a strong wrestler with knockout power and is absolutely relentless if he puts an opponent on the mat. 

Welcome back, Mr. Duffee. 

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Another One Bites the Dust: Weidman Injured, Replaced by Costa Philippou Against Tim Boetsch at UFC 155

Well, we should have seen this coming.

Not that it matters to Anderson Silva, but UFC 155 was supposed to set the stage for a fight that would more or less* determine the next top contender of the middleweight division when Chris Weidman and Tim Boetsch squared off. But as things are wont to do in 2012, it has just been announced that Weidman has suffered an undisclosed injury and has been forced to pull out from his scheduled fight at UFC 155. Newsday was the first to break the news:

Chris Weidman, one of the top UFC middleweight fighters, is out of UFC 155 next month with a shoulder injury, Newsday has learned.

Weidman said the injury occured Tuesday while training in Arizona with UFC light heavyweight Ryan Bader and Levittown-based Strikeforce light heavyweight Gian Villante. The injury occured during a grappling session, the 28-year-old Weidman said.

“I hit a double-leg and that’s it,” Weidman said Wednesday. “My shoulder landed weird and I felt a pop. I can’t even move my arm.”

Weidman said that he hasn’t received an official diagnosis from doctors, but he believes it is a torn labrum.

Well, we should have seen this coming.

Not that it matters to Anderson Silva, but UFC 155 was supposed to set the stage for a fight that would more or less* determine the next top contender of the middleweight division when Chris Weidman and Tim Boetsch squared off. But as things are wont to do in 2012, it has just been announced that Weidman has suffered an undisclosed injury and has been forced to pull out from his scheduled fight at UFC 155. Newsday was the first to break the news:

Chris Weidman, one of the top UFC middleweight fighters, is out of UFC 155 next month with a shoulder injury, Newsday has learned.

Weidman said the injury occured Tuesday while training in Arizona with UFC light heavyweight Ryan Bader and Levittown-based Strikeforce light heavyweight Gian Villante. The injury occured during a grappling session, the 28-year-old Weidman said.

“I hit a double-leg and that’s it,” Weidman said Wednesday. “My shoulder landed weird and I felt a pop. I can’t even move my arm.”

Weidman said that he hasn’t received an official diagnosis from doctors, but he believes it is a torn labrum.

It’s the latest in the continuing trials and tribulations for the Long Islander, who recently had his home all but completely destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. Besides missing the payday, this has to be exceptionally disappointing for Weidman, who, barring some sort of insane last minute comeback, would have likely cruised past Boetsch and cemented his spot as the top middleweight contender. But again, even an impressive victory would do little to impress Silva, who has already stated that he isn’t the least bit interested in fighting Weidman. If you ask me, it’s Weidman’s own fault for lacking the drawing power of a Chael Sonnen or a Lorenzo Lamas. Maybe if he starts ripping off WWE speeches while doing burnouts with his Harley, Anderson will start to play ball.

But there is a silver lining in this storm cloud, albeit an infinitesimal one. Stepping up in Weidman’s absence will be streaking middleweight contender Costa Philippou, who was recently given a severe case of blue balls when Nick Ring pulled out of their UFC 154 fight on just one day’s notice after coming down with the flu. Philippou is currently 4-1 in the UFC, and most recently scored a unanimous decision over Riki Fukuda at UFC 148.

Thankfully for the UFC, Weidman’s withdrawal will not break their already stacked year-ending card. Then again, we’re still over a month out from UFC 155, so let’s just cross our fingers and hope that Weidman is the last main-carder to pull out.

*I say “more or less” because there are still some of you out there who are convinced that Michael Bisping is the true #1 contender and I have simply given up trying to convince you otherwise. If he manages to beat Vitor Belfort, however, I will start to entertain this ridiculous notion. 

–J. Jones