At UFC 155, two top middleweight contenders will square off—with a title shot potentially on the line—as Chris Weidman will face Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch.Weidman is 9-0 in his MMA career and is coming off a second round knockout—an…
At UFC 155, two top middleweight contenders will square off—with a title shot potentially on the line—as Chris Weidman will face Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch.
Weidman is 9-0 in his MMA career and is coming off a second round knockout—and absolute mauling—of Mark Munoz.
Boetsch comes into the fight on the heels of a decision victory over Hector Lombard in a fight that did not live up to expectations.
This fight will likely crown the next title challenger in the middleweight division, so let’s see who’s got the edge.
When Alan Belcher and Yushin Okami first met at UFC 62 all the way back in August of 2006, both men were actually making their promotional debut. In a hard fought contest, Okami used his superior grappling prowess to reel in a unanimous decision victory over “The Talent,” and would follow the victory with three more before dropping a unanimous decision to Rich Franklin at UFC 72. Belcher, on the other hand, would rebound from the defeat by scoring a head kick KO over woeful UFC washout Jorge Santiago, then dropping a third round submission via Brabo choke to TUF 3 winner Kendall Grove.
But although Belcher was a considerable underdog heading into their first contest, one has to imagine that he may find himself the favorite heading into their rematch at UFC 155 in light of their recent momentum swings.
When Alan Belcher and Yushin Okami first met at UFC 62 all the way back in August of 2006, both men were actually making their promotional debut. In a hard fought contest, Okami used his superior grappling prowess to reel in a unanimous decision victory over “The Talent,” and would follow the victory with three more before dropping a unanimous decision to Rich Franklin at UFC 72. Belcher, on the other hand, would rebound from the defeat by scoring a head kick KO over woeful UFC washout Jorge Santiago, then dropping a third round submission via Brabo choke to TUF 3 winner Kendall Grove.
But although Belcher was a considerable underdog heading into their first contest, one has to imagine that he may find himself the favorite heading into their rematch at UFC 155 in light of their recent momentum swings. Belcher’s ground game has looked nothing short of outstanding as of late, and his striking has always been top notch. The outlier here, as was the case in their first matchup, lies in Belcher’s ability to defend the takedown and/or deal with the ridiculous top control that Okami displayed throughout his career, especially in his recent win over Buddy Roberts.
So it’s not exactly the title-earning fight with Belfort or a shot at Chris Weidman that Belcher was asking for, but a chance to erase his very first UFC loss has to be enough to get “The Talent” motivated.
Popular middleweight Alan Belcher may not get his bout with Vitor Belfort, but he will get the opportunity to avenge a loss from his early UFC career.Ariel Helwani from MMAFighting.com has reported that UFC 155 is being targeted for a UFC 62 rematch be…
Popular middleweight Alan Belcher may not get his bout with VitorBelfort, but he will get the opportunity to avenge a loss from his early UFC career.
Okami recently got out of a two-fight skid by earning a TKO victory over Buddy Roberts at UFC 150. Belcher, however, is riding the momentum of four consecutive wins. The sole loss in his past seven fights came via controversial decision at UFC 100.
UFC 155 now boasts an excellent card, which features two more rematches. The pay-per-view is headlined by a championship rematch between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos, while the co-main event features a light-heavyweight matchup between ChaelSonnen and Forrest Griffin, who met prior to their UFC tenures.
In lightweight action, Gray Maynard meets Joe Lauzon while top middleweights Chris Weidman and Tim Boetsch meet in a potential title eliminator.
As if that were not enough, this card marks the return of Chris Leben, as he fights for the first time in 13 months after a failed drug test at UFC 138. The Crippler meets KarlosVemola.
Stay tuned to Bleacher Report MMA for all the latest breaking news on all things mixed martial arts.
That fact that Leben is immediately returning to action after his suspension — and against a beatable rebound opponent — suggests that the UFC still has a fondness for him. But considering that this wasn’t Leben’s first time-out for unapproved substances, it might be his last chance to straighten up and fly right. Good luck, Cat Smasher.
That fact that Leben is immediately returning to action after his suspension — and against a beatable rebound opponent — suggests that the UFC still has a fondness for him. But considering that this wasn’t Leben’s first time-out for unapproved substances, it might be his last chance to straighten up and fly right. Good luck, Cat Smasher.
Josh Koscheck is looking for an end-of-the-year return, and it appears that UFC 155 is tickling his fancy. Koscheck was supposed to make an appearance at UFC 151 against Jake Ellenberger, but he was pulled off the card due to injury. As most peopl…
Koscheck was supposed to make an appearance at UFC 151 against Jake Ellenberger, but he was pulled off the card due to injury. As most people now know, that whole card eventually went up in flames.
Should Koscheck return at UFC 155, whom should he face? Let’s take a look at five possible opponents for the former title challenger.
Some great news for a week that started on a low note, Chris Leben will be making his UFC return later this year. “The Crippler” will meet Karlos Vemola at UFC 155 in Las Vegas. UFC 155 is Zuffa’s end of year show and one that always brings the best.Th…
Some great news for a week that started on a low note, Chris Leben will be making his UFC return later this year. “The Crippler” will meet KarlosVemola at UFC 155 in Las Vegas. UFC 155 is Zuffa’s end of year show and one that always brings the best.
The UFC’s Australian Twitter broke the news with just a simple tweet. “#UFC155: ‘The Crippler’ to take on @UFC_UK‘s KarlosVermola. Vemola has finished his opponents in all nine of his wins.”
It was confirmed that it was, in fact, the returning Leben.
Leben was last seen at UFC 138 against Mark Munoz in Birmingham, England of last year. Munoz took it to Leben early and often and opened up a massive cut over Leben‘s eye. Leben‘s corner was forced to throw in the towel and Munoz won by TKO.
Following the defeat Leben tested positive for both oxycodone and oxymorphone. The UFC was in charge of testing and suspended Leben for a year. It was the second time that Leben had tested positive.
Leben has been one of the most exciting fighters on the UFC’s roster since making his debut following the first season of The Ultimate Fighter. The matchup with Vemola promises to end in knockout as both fighters pack heat in their hands.
It’s the perfect kind of fight for the end of year event.
Popular middleweight Alan 