Tag: UFC 159

UFC 159: Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes Head-to-Toe Breakdown

It seems that the burgeoning feud developing between UFC light heavyweight competitors Phil Davis and Vinny Magalhaes will see some closure this spring.The conflict between the two began after Davis’ UFC 153 victory over Wagner Prado, when Magalhaes is…

It seems that the burgeoning feud developing between UFC light heavyweight competitors Phil Davis and Vinny Magalhaes will see some closure this spring.

The conflict between the two began after Davis’ UFC 153 victory over Wagner Prado, when Magalhaes issued a challenge that blossomed into a full-on Twitter war.

According to the Jan. 29, 2013 episode of UFC Tonight, and the show’s official Twitter account, the battle will turn physical at UFC 159 (April 27), where the two antagonists will take it into the Octagon. 

Here, we’ll take a look at how Davis vs. Magalhaes is likely to go down. We’ll compare the combatants’ standup, wrestling and grappling skills and project the winner of the match.

Let’s take a look at how this one will play out.

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UFC Booking Alert: Nate Diaz vs. Josh Thomson Added to Next FOX Card; UFC 159 Gets Nelson vs. Kongo, Miller vs. Healy, Davis vs. Magalhaes


(Above: “Grrrrrr.” / Below: “Haaaaaay!”)

After coming up short in his title challenge against Ben Henderson last month, UFC lightweight Nate Diaz will be returning to the Octagon at UFC on Fox 7: Henderson vs. Melendez (April 20th, San Jose), where he’ll face former Strikeforce champ Josh Thomson; CSNBayArea broke the news yesterday.

Thomson hasn’t competed in the UFC since his 2-1 stint for the promotion in 2003-2004, which ended in an unfortunate/incredible highlight-reel knockout against Yves Edwards. Since then, “The Punk” has spent most of his career fighting for Strikeforce, where he built an entertaining rivalry against Diaz’s training partner (and UFC on FOX 7 title challenger) Gilbert Melendez. Thomson briefly held Strikeforce’s lightweight title after winning a decision against Melendez in June 2008, and has picked up wins over Pat Healy, Gesias Cavalcante, and KJ Noons since then. His most recent appearance resulted in a split-decision loss to Melendez during their rubber-match last May.

Of course, the other thing Thomson is known for is his frequent injuries, and there’s a lot that can go wrong between now and 4/20. Let’s hope this one sticks together. In related news, the UFC has added three big matchups to their UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen card, which takes place the following weekend (April 27th) in Newark, NJ…


(Above: “Grrrrrr.” / Below: “Haaaaaay!”)

After coming up short in his title challenge against Ben Henderson last month, UFC lightweight Nate Diaz will be returning to the Octagon at UFC on Fox 7: Henderson vs. Melendez (April 20th, San Jose), where he’ll face former Strikeforce champ Josh Thomson; CSNBayArea broke the news yesterday.

Thomson hasn’t competed in the UFC since his 2-1 stint for the promotion in 2003-2004, which ended in an unfortunate/incredible highlight-reel knockout against Yves Edwards. Since then, “The Punk” has spent most of his career fighting for Strikeforce, where he built an entertaining rivalry against Diaz’s training partner (and UFC on FOX 7 title challenger) Gilbert Melendez. Thomson briefly held Strikeforce’s lightweight title after winning a decision against Melendez in June 2008, and has picked up wins over Pat Healy, Gesias Cavalcante, and KJ Noons since then. His most recent appearance resulted in a split-decision loss to Melendez during their rubber-match last May.

Of course, the other thing Thomson is known for is his frequent injuries, and there’s a lot that can go wrong between now and 4/20. Let’s hope this one sticks together. In related news, the UFC has added three big matchups to their UFC 159: Jones vs. Sonnen card, which takes place the following weekend (April 27th) in Newark, NJ…

– Riding back-to-back knockout wins over Dave Herman and Matt Mitrione, Roy Nelson will be bringing his powerful fists and ratty-ass gray beard to UFC 159 against Cheick Kongo, who’s coming off his award-winning decision win over Shawn Jordan at UFC 149. [source]

– Speaking of bearded white guys: Fresh off his epic battle with Joe Lauzon at UFC 155, Jim Miller will look to make it two in a row against former Strikeforce lightweight contender (and long-lost twin) Pat Healy, who has won his last six fights. Winner gets TJ Grant, I guess? [source]

– And finally, top light-heavyweight contender Phil Davis and BJJ ace Vinny Magalhaes will also face off at UFC 159, settling their ongoing twitter beef. (More on that here.) Davis last competed in October when he submitted Wagner Prado at UFC 153, while Magalhaes made a successful return to the UFC in September, tapping Igor Pokrajac at UFC 152. [source]

So which fight are you most looking forward to, and how do you think they’ll turn out?

Jim Miller vs. Pat Healy Added to UFC 159 in New Jersey

The fantasy matchmaking created by bringing Strikeforce lightweights into the UFC continued on Tuesday night when the company announced a battle between Jim Miller and Pat Healy at UFC 159.Healy was twice removed from a Strikeforce title fight against …

The fantasy matchmaking created by bringing Strikeforce lightweights into the UFC continued on Tuesday night when the company announced a battle between Jim Miller and Pat Healy at UFC 159.

Healy was twice removed from a Strikeforce title fight against Gilbert Melendez when his opponent pulled out due to injury. The Team Quest fighter voiced his belief that Melendez faked the injuries in order to avoid fighting him and moving into the UFC as champion.

Currently, Healy is riding incredible momentum after picking up six straight wins under the Strikeforce banner. A scrap with Miller is a quality matchup for a fighter who didn’t have a guaranteed job heading into the promotion’s final card. 

Miller is a New Jersey native who is fighting in his home state for the fourth time since joining the UFC. Currently, the jiu-jitsu expert has won nine of his last 11 bouts and is fresh off of a UFC 155 victory over Joe Lauzon in 2012’s fight of the year.

UFC 159 takes place on Saturday, April 27 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. The card is headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and loud-mouthed challenger Chael Sonnen.

Other fights for that card which were also announced on Tuesday include a heavyweight matchup between Cheick Kongo and Roy Nelson, as well as a light heavyweight fight between Phil Davis and Vinny Magalhaes (mmajunkie.com). 

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Jon Jones: Chael Sonnen Deserves His Title Shot at UFC 159

Many pundits are still bewildered over that fact that two-time UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen will get a crack at light heavyweight champion Jon Jones this April. “Bones” supported the point of view that Sonnen was undeserving of a…

Many pundits are still bewildered over that fact that two-time UFC middleweight title challenger Chael Sonnen will get a crack at light heavyweight champion Jon Jones this April. 

“Bones” supported the point of view that Sonnen was undeserving of a third crack at UFC gold…until now. 

In an interview with New York’s WFAN radio (via SportsRadioInterviews.com), the young title holder changed his stance and said “The American Gangster” deserves to be next in line: 

I’m going to change my response and for the first time I’m going to say yes. I think Chael does deserve a shot at my title because he asked for it and he begged for it. He made it happen and I’ve definitely beaten pretty much everybody in my weight class and Chael said “let me give this guy a run” so I’m going to say yes, Chael you deserve it.

When answering the same question of whether or not he deserved another title opportunity, Sonnen indicated that no one else wanted to fight Jones, a position that UFC president Dana White has backed up: 

I never want to vouch for myself, it’s an incredible weight class and there are a lot of guys that I thought were deserving but they didn’t agree. Nobody wanted to fight Jon Jones. They were all offered the fight so here we are. It was a bit of a dream fight because we were from two different weight classes and it was a match that nobody thought would happen, including myself but Dana made it work.

The UFC 159 main event marks Sonnen‘s second consecutive title bout inside the Octagon, despite the fact his last matchup at light heavyweight was at UFC 55 in Oct. 2005. 

In his last fight, Sonnen suffered a TKO loss at the hands of UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at UFC 148 in July. 

Jones and Sonnen are currently coaching opposite one another on season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter, which airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on FX. 

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Sonnen and Jones on SportsCenter: “We’re Not Going to Put on an Act” to Fight

Appearing on SportsCenter to plug The Ultimate Fighter season 17, which debuts tonight on FX, Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones opened up on both the reality show, the cancellation and UFC 151’s cancellation.While no new light was shed on UFC 151’s cancellati…

Appearing on SportsCenter to plug The Ultimate Fighter season 17, which debuts tonight on FX, Chael Sonnen and Jon Jones opened up on both the reality show, the cancellation and UFC 151’s cancellation.

While no new light was shed on UFC 151’s cancellation, the two fighters certainly reinforced talk about how the initially-spiny relationship between the current light heavyweight champ and the former middleweight contender has become softer.

While Jones said a montage of clips featuring Dana White and Sonnen immediately after the UFC 151 cancellation played by ESPN reminded him why he initially wanted the fight, when asked to describe his relationship with his opponent, he quickly responded “professional.” Sonnen agreed and said “we started as competitors, and it quickly got transferred into being coaches.”

Sonnen would go on to praise Jones for his expertise as a coach, and complimented the amount of time and effort he put into his charges. He would go on to hype the raw talent of the contestants on the show, and once again discussed how The Ultimate Fighter is “the toughest tournament in sports”, a line Sonnen has always made sure to pull out when discussing the show. Jones would return the favor and say how he respects Sonnen and said the two of them “did a great job”.

What’s more, when asked if disliking your opponent was important come fight night, the two agreed that it was not. Sonnen would go on to say that “we’re going to fight, and we make no apologies for that, but we’re not going to put on an act and pretend we’re upset with each other.”

Some fans have been disappointed by the lack of friction between the two fighters since agreeing to coach opposite each other.

They originally gave fans one of the most epic Twitter feuds in MMA (or Twitter) history, and went for the jugular in their meetings in Fall 2012. Neither left anything on the table in conference calls, with Sonnen rubbing in Jones’ DUI trouble, and Jones pointing out Sonnen‘s TRT use.

Either way, watch for The Ultimate Fighter season 17’s debut tonight on FX in America, and on ESPN in the UK.

Additionally, keep an eye on the Bleacher Report for more info on the season as it unfolds.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Eddie Alvarez Offered UFC 159 Co-Main Event; Court Hearing on Jan 25

Nearly three weeks into 2013, you are all familiar with the ongoing legal battle between Eddie Alvarez and Bellator Fighting Championships. However, if you have somehow missed the chatter surrounding one of the highest ranked lightweights not in the UF…

Nearly three weeks into 2013, you are all familiar with the ongoing legal battle between Eddie Alvarez and Bellator Fighting Championships. However, if you have somehow missed the chatter surrounding one of the highest ranked lightweights not in the UFC, here are the cliff notes:

  • Alvarez completed the final fight on his Bellator contract in November
  • Bellator has a 90-day matching clause in their contract
  • The UFC made Alvarez a sizable offer, which he wants to accept
  • Bellator sent over an offer, which they feel matches the UFC’s
  • Alvarez claims that the offer does not match
  • Bellator is suing Alvarez
  • Alvarez is also suing Bellator

Now that we are caught up, some new light has been shed on the situation, thanks to Kevin Iole (via Yahoo! Sports). 

Alvarez will stand before federal Judge Jose L. Linares on Jan. 25 seeking an injunction that would allow him to fight on the UFC 159 card. According to the contract offered by the UFC, Alvarez needs to give them a formal answer by Jan. 27 in order to properly promote his appearance.

The fight would serve as the co-main event on a hotly anticipated PPV that is headlined by a light heavyweight title fight between Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen. With Alvarez being offered a bonus based on PPV buyrates, being featured on a card of this magnitude would garner him a major payday.

It offered to give Alvarez $1 per buy between 200,000 and 400,000 buys. That would go up to $2 per buy between 400,000 and 600,000 and $2.50 for each buy over 600,000.

If Jones vs. Sonnen draws somewhere in the ballpark of 700,000 buys, Alvarez would be entitled to a bonus of $850,000 on top of his $70,000 show money and $70,000 win bonus.

With the bonus scale offered by the UFC, it is clear to see why Bellator‘s offer cannot possibly be a match. Bellator airs their events on SPIKE, so there are no PPV proceeds that Alvarez could earn. 

With the injunction one week away, there is some light at the end of the tunnel for Alvarez, who has been stuck in limbo for the last month. 

If the judge agrees with Alvarez, he will compete on the April 27 card. Which lightweight should he face? Tell us what you think in the comments below.

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