In the main event of UFC 156, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will take on former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar. This could be the most exciting featherweight championship fight in MMA history. It could also be one of the closest. …
In the main event of UFC 156, UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo will take on former lightweight champ Frankie Edgar.
This could be the most exciting featherweight championship fight in MMA history.
It could also be one of the closest.
While some may believe Aldo’s striking alone is enough to give him the edge, Edgar has never been stopped in his MMA career and may be faster than any opponent that Aldo has ever faced.
This fight could go down to the judges.
Here are the reasons why they could have a very difficult decision to make.
We are just a few hours away from UFC 156, which takes place live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The main card has many storylines leading up to it. From Alistair Overeem making his return to the UFC to Rashad Evans…
We are just a few hours away from UFC 156, which takes place live from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The main card has many storylines leading up to it.
The year is still young, but UFC 156 has to be the early favorite for best card of 2013. Headlined by an incredible title fight, there’s a whole lot to love for fight fans looking to enjoy a great night of fights. With so many big names and intrig…
The year is still young, but UFC 156 has to be the early favorite for best card of 2013. Headlined by an incredible title fight, there’s a whole lot to love for fight fans looking to enjoy a great night of fights.
With so many big names and intriguing matchups set to go down, the competition for fight of the night will be fierce. There are plenty of fighters on the card that are known for setting the pace and entertaining the fans, but which fights are the favorite to earn the lucrative distinction?
Joseph Benavidez vs. Ian McCall
If there’s one thing that the flyweights have shown since the division was added to the UFC, it’s that they are guaranteed to put on a show.
Benavidez and McCall should continue that trend, as they are both at the top of the division and hungry to get back in the thick of the title picture. Both guys establish a great pace and have the cardio to keep things interesting throughout.
Benavidez has one fight of the night award to his name, although it was under the WEC banner when he took then-champion Dominick Cruz to a decision. McCall has only fought twice in the UFC but already has one fight of the night performance under his belt.
These two will put on a show and make a serious run for the distinction.
Jon Fitch vs. Demian Maia
Yes, yes, Fitch has been called a “boring” fighter on more than one occasion. But when he’s taking on the kind of grappler that can keep up with him, he’s capable of putting on entertaining fights. He’s actually been involved in two fights that took home the honor already—his most recent bout with Erick Silva and his title match against Georges St-Pierre.
Maia has the chops in the grappling department to force Fitch into an exciting back-and-forth fight. With Fitch seemingly embracing a more fan-friendly style, this should be a great clash of styles on the ground.
Frankie Edgar vs. Jose Aldo
What better candidate for fight of the night than the matchup that headlines the whole card?
This is the closest thing to a “superfight” that we’ve seen in a long time, and it’s hard to envision this one not living up to the hype. Aldo is the explosive champion with the nearly flawless record. He’s on his way to mini-Anderson Silva status.
However, Edgar is the perfect opponent to push the champion to his limit. He has crisp boxing to combat Aldo’s vicious kicks and enough wrestling, heart and cardio to test Aldo’s will.
The resulting scrap should put fans on the edge of their seats and could fatten both fighters’ pockets in the form of the almighty fight of the night bonus.
Jose Aldo is set to defend his UFC featherweight title once again and will welcome former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar to his division. The superfight will headline UFC 156, which takes place Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Cen…
Jose Aldo is set to defend his UFC featherweight title once again and will welcome former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar to his division. The superfight will headline UFC 156, which takes place Saturday at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
With one of the most stacked main cards in recent memory, UFC 156 could also conceivably produce three top contenders in other divisions.
Elite heavyweight Alistair Overeem will return from suspension for a fight with Antonio Silva, top flyweights Joseph Benavidez and Ian McCall will try to prove they are worthy of a rematch with 125-pound champion Demetrious Johnson and Rashad Evans will look to beat Anderson Silva and make a statement that he’s worthy of an immediate title shot in the middleweight division.
As always, Bleacher Report will provide live results and commentary for the entire fight card below. Return here at approximately 7 p.m. ET, when the Facebook prelims get started.
On paper, UFC 156 is an easy front-runner for card of the year.With a huge featherweight title fight, the return of Alistair Overeem and Rashad Evan’s first fight since his title loss to Jon Jones, there’s plenty of star power and intrigue surrounding …
On paper, UFC 156 is an easy front-runner for card of the year.
With a huge featherweight title fight, the return of Alistair Overeem and Rashad Evan’s first fight since his title loss to Jon Jones, there’s plenty of star power and intrigue surrounding Saturday night’s action.
When all is said and done, nearly every division’s title picture will be majorly impacted, and we’ll see some fighters set themselves up for a huge year in 2013. Here’s a look at the biggest fights of the night, with predictions and potential implications for each.
Alistair Overeem vs. Antonio Silva
Overeem could be the next big star for the UFC, and he’ll make his return to the Octagon after a year-long layoff due to a suspension for a failed drug test after his stoppage victory over Brock Lesnar.
Standing in his way will be Antonio Silva, who is coming off of a huge win over Travis Browne.
The fight has huge ramifications for the heavyweight division. According to Dana White via MMAJunkie, Overeem will be granted a title shot against Cain Velasquez with a win over Silva.
Prediction
Silva is an interesting opponent for Overeem. He has the power to make the fight interesting, and Overeem could be in trouble if Silva is able to land some power shots. However, Overeem is powerful in his own right, and Velasquez ran right through Silva.
Overeem by KO/TKO.
Rashad Evans vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Evans returns to the Octagon for the first time since a disappointing decision loss to light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. He’ll be faced with the task of taking down a grizzled veteran in Nogueira, who is coming off of a big knockout win over Tito Ortiz.
This fight could have a major impact on two weight divisions. Dana White acknowledged that, with a win, he would consider Evans for a title shot in the middleweight division against Anderson Silva (h/t USA Today).
Prediction
If Evans really is interested in a drop down to 185, the title shot is his for the taking.
Nogueira’s win over Ortiz is nice, but it doesn’t overshadow the fact that he was coming off of back-to-back decision losses to Ryan Bader and Phil Davis. MMA math doesn’t always work out, but the fact that Nogueira was beaten by Davis, who lost to Evans, isn’t the best sign for Little Nog.
After the bitter disappointment of losing his long-awaited title shot, Evans will be looking to make a point. Look for him to use his wrestling to wear down Nogueira before ultimately finishing the fight off with some ground and pound.
Evans by KO/TKO
Jose Aldo (c) vs. Frankie Edgar
This is about as close to a superfight as the UFC has put on in recent history, and it should live up to expectations.
Edgar has long been a successful lightweight despite being relatively undersized for the division and will finally make the trip down to 145. Aldo has been nearly unbeatable throughout his career and is one of the sport’s true pound-for-pound greats.
The implications for this fight are pretty obvious. The winner will be the champion, and if Edgar loses, he’ll have a decision to make regarding which division he wants to fight in going forward.
Prediction
At this point, Aldo has the well-earned reputation of being invincible. He has a 14-fight win streak going back to his pre-WEC days and has been as dominant a champion as anyone not named Anderson Silva or Georges St-Pierre.
However, he hasn’t fought an opponent quite like Edgar.
Aldo has fought great strikers and great wrestlers, but Edgar is the most well-rounded opponent he’s faced to date.
This will be an absolute war, but Edgar has all the tools needed to pull off the massive upset and score a decision victory.
UFC 156 marks a return to action for the oft-injured featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, who meets former lightweight ace Frankie Edgar in the evening’s main event.Aldo has plenty to lose: A defeat to a first-time 145er, even one as amazing as Edg…
UFC 156 marks a return to action for the oft-injured featherweight champion, Jose Aldo, who meets former lightweight ace Frankie Edgar in the evening’s main event.
Aldo has plenty to lose: A defeat to a first-time 145er, even one as amazing as Edgar, hurts the Brazilian’s overall stock, snatches the belt from his waist and eliminates him from top pound-for-pound consideration.
But despite everything Aldo has to lose Saturday night, two others on the card face a significantly greater fall should they fail to secure victory at UFC 156.
Rashad Evans is one fight away from a potential career godsend. If he can overcome the challenge known as Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, there’s a very real possibility that he migrates south to middleweight, where he’s being eyed as a strong possibility for Anderson Silva’s next title challenger.
I don’t see many ways for Nogueira to emerge victorious in this affair, and many would likely agree. Once a true destroyer of the light heavyweight division, “Minotoro” has lost more than a single step.
Antonio’s visibly slowed quite a bit, and he hasn’t exactly evolved with the sport. “Little Nog”—as fans often refer to him—still plods forward looking to slug it out, and still shows a lack of offensive potency in the wrestling department. These are areas that Evans should be able to exploit handily, as Nog’s weaknesses play to Rashad’s key strengths.
Knowing these things hammers home the fact that a loss to Nogueira this weekend will send Rashad’s stock absolutely plummeting and eliminate him from any discussion to involve Anderson Silva’s name.
And let’s face it, the chance to tangle with the greatest mixed martial artist of his generation is a professional fighter’s dream opportunity.
But Rashad Evans isn’t the only man who stands to see his hopes of reaching the summit spill down the drain with failure this weekend. Alistair Overeem could watch a title shot slip right through his hands should Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva upset the hulking Dutchman.
Overeem’s already stared the UFC title down, only to watch his shot to claim promotional gold slip away in light of a urinalysis that registered some shocking testosterone levels. Another setback this weekend could leave the former Strikeforce boss a few years distanced from a top contender match, let alone an official title shot.
It’s imperative that “The Reem” not only find success at UFC 156, but also pass any drug tests in the buildup and wake of the bout.
If Overeem wins Saturday, and does so in impressive fashion all the while acing the inevitable drug tests, he’s next to challenge current heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez. If he stumbles in any area, it’s back to the drawing board for the multi-sport champion.
The year is still young, but