Tag: UFC 160

UFC 160: Fighters Who Proved They Can’t Seriously Challenge for Titles Again

Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt is a very exciting fighter to watch, but he can’t be considered a serious threat to UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez or No. 1 contender, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos.Hunt’s inability to compete with the latter was brut…

Mark “The Super Samoan” Hunt is a very exciting fighter to watch, but he can’t be considered a serious threat to UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez or No. 1 contender, Junior “Cigano” dos Santos.

Hunt’s inability to compete with the latter was brutally proven on Saturday at UFC 160.

He is a one-trick pony with his heavy hands and solid chin. Cigano could have made Saturday night’s bout easier and more boring by taking Hunt to the mat and controlling him there.

Instead, he beat Hunt at his own game.

Hunt was up to the challenge, but clearly overmatched. Cigano knocked him down with a spinning heel kick and finished the job with a punishing lunge punch once his opponent hit the mat.

Couple this impressive and vicious finish with Velasquez’s dominant win in the main event and there is no doubt who the two best heavyweights in the world are.

If Hunt faced Velasquez, he would have a better chance in the stand up, but Velasquez would be insane not to take him to the mat and pound him out. The champion’s ground game is perhaps the best in the sport.

The only way Hunt would have a chance is if he could get Velasquez to fight his fight—that’s not a very good plan.

I believed Hunt was going to be outclassed by dos Santos all along, but now that the world has seen it, where does that leave Hunt?

On the outside looking in; and at 39 years old, that’s not a good place to be.

Hunt is short on time and he has no chance to beat either of the elite fighters in his weight class. Chances are, this was his last run as a serious contender for the title.

The Super Samoan is not alone. A few other losers from UFC 160 are in tough situations after failing to get it done on Saturday night.

 

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva

The big man from Brazil is in a position very similar to Hunt’s—only a little worse. Silva is only 33 years old, but he’s limited athletically and let’s be honest; he’ll never be better than he is right now.

Velasquez has made it painfully obvious, Silva’s best isn’t good enough.

After two straight beatings from Velasquez, who would buy Bigfoot in another title fight with with the champion. At least Hunt can say he was competitive; Silva looked like he should have been fighting in a Facebook preliminary match.

Could he have more luck against dos Santos? It is possible, but I doubt it.

Bigfoot is stuck in a role as a secondary fighter in the heavyweight division. Unfortunately for him, there is nothing he can do about it.

 

Gray “The Bully” Maynard

Maynard found the perfect opponent to make him look good in Frankie Edgar. Edgar and Maynard’s style combination made for a great two-fight rivalry.

However, the KO loss in the second fight with Edgar seemed to break the Bully. It was his first loss and obviously the first time he’d been knocked out—unless you count the time he DDT’d himself against Rob Emerson in 2007.

Maynard defeated Clay Guida by controversial split decision in June 2012, but he didn’t look the same as he did before the wars with Edgar.

Losing to TJ Grant is nothing to be embarrassed about. He is one of the fastest-rising fighters in the world. But the way he disposed of Maynard proved the Bully’s days as a player in the lightweight division are over.

Maynard seemed to get the stand-up battle he wanted against a fighter whose specialty is submissions. Yet, within 2:07, Maynard was stopped for the second time in his career.

At 34 years old, there is no realistic scenario where Maynard could compete with the likes of Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis.

 

Follow me, because Royce Gracie started me on this MMA path, and now I’m out of control

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UFC 160: Mario Yamasaki or Bigfoot, Who’s Really to Blame for Loss to Velasquez?

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva seems to think referee Mario Yamasaki is the primary reason he was defeated by Cain Velasquez at UFC 160.After dropping Silva with a cross, Velasquez followed up with multiple, unanswered ground strikes, which forced Yamasaki to…

Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva seems to think referee Mario Yamasaki is the primary reason he was defeated by Cain Velasquez at UFC 160.

After dropping Silva with a cross, Velasquez followed up with multiple, unanswered ground strikes, which forced Yamasaki to call a halt to the action 81 seconds into the first round.

Through a translator at the post-fight press conference, Silva accused Velasquez of landing illegal strikes to the back of his neck. He even stated that Yamasaki should be penalized for stopping the fight too soon and allowing the illegal blows to continue.

I do agree that the fight was stopped too early. My way of thinking is that the same that applies to athletes who are penalized when they do something wrong or illegal should also apply to referees when they do something wrong. They too should be penalized. I don’t want to say too much. I’d rather you each just watch the fight playback. It’s clear watching it that I took several illegal blows to the back of my neck.

Did Yamasaki‘s “boo-boo” cost Silva the UFC title, or is the heavyweight contender just expressing sour grapes over another first-round loss to Velasquez?

From this perspective, Velasquez’s ground strikes were legal blows to Silva’s ear, and the stoppage by Yamasaki was justified.

There were a couple of strikes that managed to land directly on the back of Silva’s head, but these shots had more to do with Silva going limp and his body’s sudden change of direction. After the two accidental blows, Velasquez immediately goes back to punching Silva’s ear before Yamasaki steps in.

A quick loss in such an important fight is a tough pill to swallow for any fighter. Yamasaki clearly isn’t at fault for Silva losing. It is the duty of every professional fighter to understand the concept of “intelligently defending yourself.” If you aren’t moving or making any attempt to shield yourself from punishment, the referee will step in and stop the fight every time.

After going limp from the ear shots, Silva made no attempt to shield himself from Velasquez’s punches.

It would be ludicrous to put all the blame on Yamasaki, especially after seeing Silva lose to Velasquez in similar fashion a little over a year ago. 

The conspiracy theorists can debate amongst themselves about the refs being out to get Silva, but the stat sheet tells a story of its own. According to MMAFighting’s Mike Chiappetta, Silva has landed a total of five strikes in two fights with Velasquez.

Could it possibly be that Velasquez is just the better fighter?

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UFC 160 Medical Suspensions: Several Fighters Face Up to 6 Months off

UFC 160 was a bloody and injury-filled affair; as such, the list of medical suspensions handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission is a fairly lengthy list with several fighters facing up to six months off. Full UFC 160 Medical Suspensions pro…

UFC 160 was a bloody and injury-filled affair; as such, the list of medical suspensions handed down by the Nevada State Athletic Commission is a fairly lengthy list with several fighters facing up to six months off.

Full UFC 160 Medical Suspensions provided to Bleacher Report MMA by the NSAC:

Antonio Silva is suspended until June 25, 2013, with no contact until June 16, 2013.

Junior Dos Santos is suspended until June 25, 2013, with no contact until June 16 due to eyebrow laceration.

Mark Hunt must have his broken big toe cleared by physician, or no contact will be given until November 22, 2013. He faces a minimum suspension until July 25, 2013.

Glover Teixeira must have right hand and left elbow x-rayed. If positive, he needs physician clearance; otherwise, no contact until November 22, 2013.

Gray Maynard must have ophthalmologist clearance for dilated right pupil, or he’ll have to wait until November 22, 2013 before he can make any contact. He faces a minimum suspension until July 25, 2013.

Donald Cerrone is suspended until July 10, 2013. No contact for Cerrone until June 25, 2013 for right elbow and right eyebrow lacerations.

K.J. Noons is suspended until July 25, 2013, with no contact until that date due to multiple facial lacerations.

 

Mike Pyle is suspended until June 25, 2013, with no contact until June 16, 2013.

 

Rick Story is suspended until July 10, 2013, with no contact until June 25, 2013 due to lacerations.

 

Dennis Bermudez must have both feet and right hand x-rayed. If positive, Bermudez needs physician clearance or he can’t experience any contact until November 22, 2013. He faces a minimum suspension until July 25, 2013 and won’t make any contact until June 16, 2013 due to nose laceration.

 

Colton Smith is suspended until July 10, 2013. No contact for Smith until June 25, 2013 due to left cheek laceration.

 

Khabib Nurmagomedov must have orthopedic evaluation on left knee and be cleared by a physician; otherwise, no contact until November 22, 2013.

 

Stephen Thompson must have left foot x-rayed. If positive, Thompson needs physician clearance or no contact until November 22, 2013.

 

Brian Bowles must have right hand x-rayed. If positive, Bowles needs physician clearance or no contact until November 22, 2013. He faces a minimum suspension until July 10, 2013, with no contact until June 25, 2013.

 

Estevan Payan is suspended until July 25, 2013, with no contact until that date for multiple facial lacerations.

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UFC 160 Salaries: Cain Velasquez Makes 400 Large; Dos Santos, Hunt, Grant Also Crack Six Figures


(It’s cool, he’s used to it. / Photo via MMAFighting.com)

The UFC paid out $1,733,000 in disclosed salaries and performance bonuses to the 24 fighters who competed at UFC 160, with heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez‘s $400,000 flat fee eating up 23% of the total. (Coming soon: The “Occupy Velasquez” movement, led by Jacob Volkmann and John Cholish.) Heavyweights Junior Dos Santos and Mark Hunt made over $200k for their co-main event bout — including their $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses — while the night’s other big winner, TJ Grant, just made it to the six-figure mark.

Check out the full list of UFC 160 salaries below — courtesy of the Nevada State Athletic Commission via MMAMania — followed by our traditional rundown of who’s underpaid/overpaid. Keep in mind that the numbers don’t include additional income from undisclosed “locker-room bonuses,” sponsorships, or cuts of the pay-per-view that some of the UFC’s stars are entitled to, or deductions for taxes, insurance, and licensing fees.

Cain Velasquez: $400,000 (no win bonus)
Antonio Silva: $75,000

Junior dos Santos: $290,000 (includes $120,000 win bonus, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Mark Hunt: $210,000 (includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Glover Teixeira: $98,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus, $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
James Te Huna: $30,000

T.J. Grant: $100,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus, $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
Gray Maynard: $45,000


(It’s cool, he’s used to it. / Photo via MMAFighting.com)

The UFC paid out $1,733,000 in disclosed salaries and performance bonuses to the 24 fighters who competed at UFC 160, with heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez‘s $400,000 flat fee eating up 23% of the total. (Coming soon: The “Occupy Velasquez” movement, led by Jacob Volkmann and John Cholish.) Heavyweights Junior Dos Santos and Mark Hunt made over $200k for their co-main event bout — including their $50,000 Fight of the Night bonuses — while the night’s other big winner, TJ Grant, just made it to the six-figure mark.

Check out the full list of UFC 160 salaries below — courtesy of the Nevada State Athletic Commission via MMAMania — followed by our traditional rundown of who’s underpaid/overpaid. Keep in mind that the numbers don’t include additional income from undisclosed “locker-room bonuses,” sponsorships, or cuts of the pay-per-view that some of the UFC’s stars are entitled to, or deductions for taxes, insurance, and licensing fees.

Cain Velasquez: $400,000 (no win bonus)
Antonio Silva: $75,000

Junior dos Santos: $290,000 (includes $120,000 win bonus, $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)
Mark Hunt: $210,000 (includes $50,000 Fight of the Night bonus)

Glover Teixeira: $98,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus, $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus)
James Te Huna: $30,000

T.J. Grant: $100,000 (includes $25,000 win bonus, $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus)
Gray Maynard: $45,000

Donald Cerrone: $82,000 (includes $41,000 win bonus)
K.J. Noons: $41,000

Mike Pyle: $84,000 (includes $42,000 win bonus)
Rick Story: $27,000

Dennis Bermudez: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus)
Max Holloway: $14,000

Robert Whittaker: $30,000 (includes $15,000 win bonus)
Colton Smith: $15,000

Khabib Nurmagomedov: $28,000 (includes $14,000 win bonus)
Abel Trujillo: $8,000

Stephen Thompson: $16,000 (includes $8,000 win bonus)
Nah-Shon Burrell: $9,000

George Roop: $26,000 (includes $13,000 win bonus)
Brian Bowles: $19,000

Jeremy Stephens: $48,000 (includes $24,000 win bonus)
Estevan Payan: $10,000

Underpaid: None of the heavyweights, that’s for sure. This is one of those UFC payout lists that kind of suggests a correlation between size and paycheck. A lightweight phenom like Khabib Nurmagomedov gets just $14,000 to show, while a light-heavyweight phenom like Glover Teixeira gets $24,000. And then you have Bigfoot Silva earning $75,000 just for lumbering into a heavyweight title fight, I guess. Rick Story‘s $27k seems rather low, considering how long he’s been paying his dues in the Octagon. And yet, it’s way more than any bantamweight on the card could hope to get.

Overpaid: KJ Noons is a non-entity in the UFC, and it’s unlikely that he’ll have a long, successful career in the promotion. But somehow, his $41,000 show-money was identical to that of opponent Donald Cerrone, a high-profile veteran who’s about as dependably exciting as anyone in this sport. Noons made almost as much cash as top-shelf lightweight Gray Maynard, and makes far more to-show than guys like Teixeira and Nurmagomedov, who actually will have futures in the promotion.

UFC Fan Pulls Guard, Sinks Guillotine Choke, Saves Family From Carjacker

A Stockton, California, man proved this weekend that watching mixed martial arts does in fact make you a tough guy, and that pulling guard in a street fight can work. Our friends over at News 10 Stockton, have the story.

“Abel Simmons has been a huge fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for years. But never did he imagine that he would be using the moves to defend himself or his family from a carjacking suspect.

Simmons, 29, was able to stop and hold down his attacker until police came.

Simmons says his family was pulling up to their home on E. Jefferson Street Saturday night. They had just returned from watching a UFC fight.

They were in the driveway when a man came up and started pounding on the back window of their SUV. Then, the man tried opening the back door where Simmon’s sons – a newborn and a 2 year old – were sleeping. Fortunately, the door was locked.

Simmons, who was sitting in the passenger seat, jumped out out and tried to stop the man. His wife, who was driving, called 911.”

The alleged car jacker then punched Simmons in the face and that’s when shit got real. Simmons says he changed levels, wrapped his arms around the assailant’s legs, and took him down to the ground.

A Stockton, California, man proved this weekend that watching mixed martial arts does in fact make you a tough guy, and that pulling guard in a street fight can work. Our friends over at News 10 Stockton, have the story.

“Abel Simmons has been a huge fan of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) for years. But never did he imagine that he would be using the moves to defend himself or his family from a carjacking suspect.

Simmons, 29, was able to stop and hold down his attacker until police came.

Simmons says his family was pulling up to their home on E. Jefferson Street Saturday night. They had just returned from watching a UFC fight.

They were in the driveway when a man came up and started pounding on the back window of their SUV. Then, the man tried opening the back door where Simmon’s sons – a newborn and a 2 year old – were sleeping. Fortunately, the door was locked.

Simmons, who was sitting in the passenger seat, jumped out out and tried to stop the man. His wife, who was driving, called 911.”

The alleged car jacker then punched Simmons in the face and that’s when shit got real. Simmons says he changed levels, wrapped his arms around the assailant’s legs, and took him down to the ground.

From there, the freaking guy went for an armbar. Turns out, Simmons was driving his family home from watching UFC 160 when the alleged perpetrator attempted to get into their car. Inspired by Cain Velasquez, Simmons got the take down, looked for the quick submission but the jacker slipped out. Ultimate Dad didn’t have his position secure before he went for the submission.

Simmons then says he transitioned to a rear naked choke but the wily car jacking veteran once more displayed impressive submission defense and worked free. In defense of his family, however, Simmons would not be denied and he then latched onto a front head lock, worked it into a guillotine choke grip and pulled guard.

Help from neighbors and police arrived with Simmons in full control of his alleged attacker’s neck and body. Simmons demonstrates the technique he first saw on television then mimicked on the street in the video above and you’ll notice that he actually does a good job of cutting an angle to finish the choke, instead of pulling straight back as many do.

Then, Simmons put the Stockton stamp on the dude by talking smack to him as he went out. “Looks like you’ll be going to jail tonight,” he said.

Get this guy six months of sprawl training, and I think the UFC has a new contender. First things first, though, Nick and Nate Diaz need to go visit this fellow Stockton soldier and give him his props.

– Elias Cepeda

UFC 160 Results: Has Brian Bowles Reached the End of the Road?

Brian Bowles is inching closer to the end of the road—the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel of a career which, looking back, never really lived up to expectations. And after UFC 160 last Saturday night, the end of that career can’t be far…

Brian Bowles is inching closer to the end of the road—the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel of a career which, looking back, never really lived up to expectations. And after UFC 160 last Saturday night, the end of that career can’t be far off.

The former WEC Bantamweight Champion may disagree with me. He likely still has a few fights left in him. Maybe he can even keep his career rolling for another few years, but I doubt it.

I also doubt that he will ever battle for contention again. I doubt he ever breaks back into the division’s top 10. I even have my doubts as to whether or not he will ever win another fight in the UFC.

It’s not Bowles‘ fault, at least not entirely. He’s struggled with constant injuries and he isn’t getting any younger.

At 32 years of age, Bowles is well past his prime. We saw that against George Roop, an inconsistent bantamweight with a less-than-flattering 14-9 professional record—he put Bowles away in the second round with a TKO last Saturday.

We saw it against Urijah Faber at UFC 139 back in 2011, when Bowles failed to even reach the midpoint of the fight. And we even saw early glimpses of it in March of 2010 when Bowles lost his WEC title to Dominick Cruz after failing to continue following a hand injury in the early rounds. 

Somewhere in between the handful of losses—two of which came against two of the best bantamweights to ever fight—sit a couple of victories. Following the loss to Cruz, Bowles burst onto the UFC scene with back-to-back wins. It seemed the former champion was primed for a return to the elite tier of the division—the tier featuring Cruz, Faber, Renan Barao, and the like.

Unfortunately, injuries and disinterest helped ensure that a return to the top would never happen.

Last weekend’s event marked the first time since November of 2011 that Bowles set foot in the cage.

On an episode of The MMA Hour on MMAFighting.com leading up to UFC 160, Bowles revealed that he broke his hand on three occasions, contracted a staph infection, was diagnosed with a pair of bulging discs and a pair of degenerative discs, and struggled with knee issues. According to that same piece, Bowles also struggled to find a desire to train and compete, stating that “it wasn’t fun to me anymore.”

Given the combination of dispassion for training and proneness to injury, it’s hardly surprising Bowles finds himself in such a predicament.

In 2011, he was undoubtedly a top five bantamweight. Now? He’s out of the top 10 official UFC rankings, barely makes my top 15, and has shown no signs of a potential upswing in the near future.

The Roop fight was a chance for him to rebound back into the top 10, and I thought he would bludgeon his way back up the ranks. After all, he effortlessly put away an overmatched Damacio Page (no longer with the UFC) and earned a decision over Takeya Mizugaki. One of those guys is a decent bantamweight.

After the Roop fight, however, it’s fairly clear that not only is Bowles unable to compete with the division’s elite, the Georgia native is going to struggle against average bantamweights. 

Quite the fall for a guy who once wore the 135-pound crown.

Still, it’s hard to say that Bowles never realized his potential in the bantamweight division considering he won a title in the WEC. However, with all the vicious knockouts and slick submissions—only one of his 10 victories came by way of decision—he owns just one quality win, his knockout victory against Miguel Torres back in 2009 to win the WEC bantamweight title. 

Since then, he’s 2-3 with all three losses coming by way of stoppage. One of his wins is against a fighter who went 0-for-3 in the UFC, the other against an average bantamweight. He can’t stay healthy, as the aforementioned list attests. He seems to struggle in the search for motivation, and it’s showing in his fight results. If he loses his next fight, he almost certainly will be released. Oh, he’s also 32 years old.

Bowles may disagree, but that sounds like retirement knocking.

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