Tag: UFC 155

5 Reasons to Look Forward to the UFC’s End of the Year Run

The year will soon be closing out. People everywhere will be excited to wish it farewell and plan for a clean slate in 2013. Thankfully, before that happens the UFC has a few more stacked cards planned. Georges St. Pierre’s return, Nate …

The year will soon be closing out. People everywhere will be excited to wish it farewell and plan for a clean slate in 2013. 

Thankfully, before that happens the UFC has a few more stacked cards planned. Georges St. Pierre’s return, Nate Diaz fighting for the lightweight title and Cain Velasquez attempting to get his title back from Junior dos Santos in what is sure to be an epic rematch are just some of the highlights to which we can look forward.

There is all of this and more awaiting MMA and UFC fans in the coming months. It is sure to be exciting and a solid way to wave farewell to 2012 and bring in an action-packed 2013.

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Alistair Overeem: “Cain Will Take the Belt from JDS”

Alistair Overeem believes the highly anticipated rematch between Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez will have a much different outcome this time around.The top two heavyweights in the world are set to meet again in the main event of UFC 155 in Decemb…

Alistair Overeem believes the highly anticipated rematch between Junior Dos Santos and Cain Velasquez will have a much different outcome this time around.

The top two heavyweights in the world are set to meet again in the main event of UFC 155 in December.

Overeem, who is still serving out his suspension, will be watching with invested interest, as he could face the winner sometime next year.

If his prediction holds true this time around, he’ll be facing Velasquez, not Dos Santos.

“I think Cain is going to do good in his next fight. I think he’s going to get the belt,” Overeem told MMAinterviews.TV.

“I thought so the first time, and then he lost the belt, but I think this time could be different, so, I’ll not be fighting Dos Santos for the belt. [I’ll be fighting] Cain.”

Dos Santos was dominant in the first bout, netting a first round knockout over an undefeated Velasquez to capture the UFC title.

Unfortunately, fans didn’t really get an opportunity to see how the two heavyweights matched up due to the abrupt ending of the fight.

Velasquez is easily the best-conditioned heavyweight in the world, and he boasts some of the best wrestling in the division as well. In the first fight, he overstayed his welcome on the feet, which led to the massive overhand right from Dos Santos.

If Velasquez can avoid the big punch, it’ll be interesting to see if Dos Santos is able to deal with his wrestling and the ferocious pace he’s able to maintain.

With that said, Dos Santos has the best hands in the heavyweight division. As great as Velasquez is, one minor hiccup is all it would take to separate him from consciousness once again.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 155: Phil Davis vs. Forrest Griffin Head to Toe Breakdown

Forrest Griffin has a new opponent for UFC 155, and despite rumors that a trilogy fight with Stephan Bonnar was on tap, Griffin’s return to the cage will come against a very talented up-and-coming fighter in Phil Davis. Griffin was originally set…

Forrest Griffin has a new opponent for UFC 155, and despite rumors that a trilogy fight with Stephan Bonnar was on tap, Griffin’s return to the cage will come against a very talented up-and-coming fighter in Phil Davis.

Griffin was originally set to fight Chael Sonnen on the UFC’s year-end card, but Sonnen was placed into a high-profile spot opposite Jon Jones on The Ultimate Fighter 17, and Griffin was left without an opponent.

In steps “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis, who is fresh off a submission win over Wagner Prado at last weekend’s UFC 153 event.

This is an extremely important fight for both men: Griffin needs to prove he is still amongst the elite fighters in the light heavyweight division, and Davis has yet to show the world that he is worth the hype that has been thrown his way.

The winner of this fight will be thrown into a light-heavyweight-title mix full of fighters who have already lost to the champion, so a win here could earn one of these fighters a fast track to a title opportunity.

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Forrest Griffin vs. Phil Davis Set for UFC 155


(It’s good to see that someone finally gave Starvin Marvin something to eat.) 

According to a tweet sent out by UFC Brazil, light heavyweight grappling whiz Phil Davis will be the man to replace Chael Sonnen against Forrest Griffin at UFC 155. When Sonnen passed over Griffin for a TUF coaching gig and light heavyweight title shot against Jon Jones, everyone from Stephan Bonnar to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira were being rumored as potential opponents for Griffin, who is coming off a unanimous decision victory over longtime rival Tito Ortiz in their trilogy match at UFC 148.

After coming up short in a tedious affair against Rashad Evans in the headlining match of UFC on FOX 2, Davis was looking to rebound against Wagner Prado at UFC on FOX 4, but an unfortunate eye poke resulted in an unsatisfying no-contest being declared. Davis and Prado met again at UFC 153, where Davis was able to secure a brilliant second round submission via anaconda choke victory. It was the same submission Davis used to defeat top light heavyweight prospect Alexander Gustafsson back at UFC 112 in April of 2010. If you’re keeping track, the current record for fighters who were the victims of a fight-ending eye poke in immediate rematches is now 1-3 (Scott Smith, Waachiim Spiritwolf, and Prado all came up short, with only Anthony Johnson managing to earn some revenge).


(It’s good to see that someone finally gave Starvin Marvin something to eat.) 

According to a tweet sent out by UFC Brazil, light heavyweight grappling whiz Phil Davis will be the man to replace Chael Sonnen against Forrest Griffin at UFC 155. When Sonnen passed over Griffin for a TUF coaching gig and light heavyweight title shot against Jon Jones, everyone from Stephan Bonnar to Antonio Rogerio Nogueira were being rumored as potential opponents for Griffin, who is coming off a unanimous decision victory over longtime rival Tito Ortiz in their trilogy match at UFC 148.

After coming up short in a tedious affair against Rashad Evans in the headlining match of UFC on FOX 2, Davis was looking to rebound against Wagner Prado at UFC on FOX 4, but an unfortunate eye poke resulted in an unsatisfying no-contest being declared. Davis and Prado met again at UFC 153, where Davis was able to secure a brilliant second round submission via anaconda choke victory. It was the same submission Davis used to defeat top light heavyweight prospect Alexander Gustafsson back at UFC 112 in April of 2010. If you’re keeping track, the current record for fighters who were the victims of a fight-ending eye poke in immediate rematches is now 1-3 (Scott Smith, Waachiim Spiritwolf, and Prado all came up short, with only Anthony Johnson managing to earn some revenge).

Griffin has never been submitted in his MMA career, and should enjoy a healthy advantage in the standup against the wrestling-based Davis. That being said, Griffin’s cardio has looked less than stellar lately — mainly his garbage ass third round against Ortiz at UFC 148 — so expect to see Davis drag this fight into the latter rounds and attempt to secure a late ground and pound stoppage or a grappling heavy decision.

Fans and critics alike have been questioning Griffin’s heart for some time now, but a win over a legitimate prospect like Davis would undoubtedly shut up at least a few of his haters should he pull it off. With retirement looming on the horizon for one of the most charismatic (at least at one time) guys in the division, we’d really like to see FoGriff go out on a solid win or two. Above all else, we just hope he doesn’t decide to go for a post-fight jog before the decision is read this time.

Eye of the tiger, Forrest. Eye of the tiger.

Who do you like for this one, Potato Nation?

–J. Jones

Phil Davis Replaces Chael Sonnen and Will Face Forrest Griffin at UFC 155

This week the UFC announced that Chael Sonnen would be withdrawing from his UFC 155 bout against Forrest Griffin to take part in the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.This left Forrest Griffin without an opponent at the UFC’s end-of-year card. S…

This week the UFC announced that Chael Sonnen would be withdrawing from his UFC 155 bout against Forrest Griffin to take part in the next season of The Ultimate Fighter.

This left Forrest Griffin without an opponent at the UFC’s end-of-year card. 

Some believed that Stephan Bonnar would be stepping up and the two would try and recreate the magic they had in 2005. Today, the UFC confirmed that it would not be Bonnar who drew Griffin.

No, they announced on twitter that Phil Davis would be stepping up to face the former UFC champion.

As far as matchups go, Joe Silva hit a home run with this one.

Griffin is on the tail end of his career and likely won’t be making another run at the top of the division. However, he still has that name value and drawing power that he can help Phil Davis’ career. 

The matchup will test Davis to see if he’s ready to truly compete with some of the best in the division. He faltered on his first opportunity when he faced Rashad Evans earlier this year.

It was hopefully a learning experience for Davis.

Griffin will push Davis in all the right ways and force the young fighter to work through an active guard and never-ending gas tank. It’s the kind of fight that Davis needs at this point in his career.

Definitely another case of great matchmaking from Joe Silva. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira Will Fight FoGriff in Sonnen’s Absence, If That’s Cool

Believe it or not, Potato Nation, but there was a brief moment in time when Chael Sonnen was supposed to rematch Forrest Griffin in his return to the light heavyweight division at UFC 155. You might not remember it due to the fact that upon announcing his change in weight class, Sonnen almost immediately skipped over Griffin to set his sights on Jon Jones, a decision that proved ultimately fruitful. Surprisingly, FoGriff seemed at least partially relieved not to be fighting that “boring” Sonnen fellow, but when he is made aware that he’s now been called out by Antonio “Lil’ Nog” Nogueira because of it, we imagine he’s going to wish he could still fight the middleweight wrestler with no KO power and poor submission defense who he has already beaten.

One thing you might recall is that Griffin and Nog were set to meet way back at UFC 114 before a shoulder injury forced the TUF 1 winner out of the contest. Griffin was replaced by Jason Brilz, who turned in one of the most respectable losses in UFC, nay, MMA history that night, coming up just short by way of split decision. Since then, Lil’ Nog has gone 1-2, dropping a pair of UD’s to wrestlers Ryan Bader and Phil Davis before beating the poop out of Tito Ortiz at UFC 140. Griffin is also coming off a win over “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” (I refuse to acknowledge this “People’s Champ” nonsense), albeit by another close decision in their trilogy-completing/Ortiz-retiring match at UFC 148.

Believe it or not, Potato Nation, but there was a brief moment in time when Chael Sonnen was supposed to rematch Forrest Griffin in his return to the light heavyweight division at UFC 155. You might not remember it due to the fact that upon announcing his change in weight class, Sonnen almost immediately skipped over Griffin to set his sights on Jon Jones, a decision that proved ultimately fruitful. Surprisingly, FoGriff seemed at least partially relieved not to be fighting that “boring” Sonnen fellow, but when he is made aware that he’s now been called out by Antonio “Lil’ Nog” Nogueira because of it, we imagine he’s going to wish he could still fight the middleweight wrestler with no KO power and poor submission defense who he has already beaten.

One thing you might recall is that Griffin and Nog were set to meet way back at UFC 114 before a shoulder injury forced the TUF 1 winner out of the contest. Griffin was replaced by Jason Brilz, who turned in one of the most respectable losses in UFC, nay, MMA history that night, coming up just short by way of split decision. Since then, Lil’ Nog has gone 1-2, dropping a pair of UD’s to wrestlers Ryan Bader and Phil Davis before beating the poop out of Tito Ortiz at UFC 140. Griffin is also coming off a win over “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” (I refuse to acknowledge this “People’s Champ” nonsense), albeit by another close decision in their trilogy-completing/Ortiz-retiring match at UFC 148.

It has also been rumored that Stephan Bonnar, who is fresh off a first round drubbing at the hands of Anderson Silva, would be stepping in to replace Sonnen, but neither that matchup nor the Lil’ Nog matchup have even come close to being confirmed yet. That being said, you have to imagine the aging Griffin would prefer to square off with an old foe for a final time rather than risk having his head used as a basketball by another Brazilian.

We will have more on this story as soon as we are made aware.

–J. Jones