Tag: UFC 160

With Ryan Bader Injured, Glover Teixeira Draws James Te Huna For What Will Be the Greatest Slugfest of 2013


(This murderous ocean won’t be hurting anyone anymore.) 

Australian publication The Age is passing along the news that TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming UFC 160 bout with Brazilian phenom Glover Teixeira due to injury. Luckily, his replacement opponent makes for an arguably more exciting potential fight, as it is being reported that streaking light heavyweight slugger James Te Huna has been brought into the fold in Bader’s absence. Early reports are also predicting that the fight will be a slugfest of epic proportions that winds up on every pundit’s “Top Ten Fights of the Year” list by the end of 2013, converting hoards of new fans to the sport and simultaneously blowing their minds in the process. Thank God we’re not setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Currently 5-1 in the UFC and on a four fight win streak, Te Huna is on the heels of a come from behind victory over Ryan Jimmo at UFC on FUEL 7. After getting rocked by a head kick in the first round, Te Huna showcased his resiliency (and a much improved grappling game) in the latter two rounds, controlling Jimmo en route to a unanimous decision victory. The victory followed up a record setting performance by the Aussie against Joey Beltran at UFC on FUEL 4 in which Te Huna anded 71 significant strikes in the first round.

Speaking of win streaks, Te Huna will be facing a guy with one of the longest active win streaks in the sport when he fights Teixeira, who is fresh off a unanimous decision victory of his own over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC on FOX 6, his eighteenth in a row.

A win for either man will (probably) establish them as the next, next challenger to the light heavyweight title, so who do you think will come out of this one on top, Potato Nation?

–J. Jones


(This murderous ocean won’t be hurting anyone anymore.) 

Australian publication The Age is passing along the news that TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming UFC 160 bout with Brazilian phenom Glover Teixeira due to injury. Luckily, his replacement opponent makes for an arguably more exciting potential fight, as it is being reported that streaking light heavyweight slugger James Te Huna has been brought into the fold in Bader’s absence. Early reports are also predicting that the fight will be a slugfest of epic proportions that winds up on every pundit’s “Top Ten Fights of the Year” list by the end of 2013, converting hoards of new fans to the sport and simultaneously blowing their minds in the process. Thank God we’re not setting ourselves up for disappointment.

Currently 5-1 in the UFC and on a four fight win streak, Te Huna is on the heels of a come from behind victory over Ryan Jimmo at UFC on FUEL 7. After getting rocked by a head kick in the first round, Te Huna showcased his resiliency (and a much improved grappling game) in the latter two rounds, controlling Jimmo en route to a unanimous decision victory. The victory followed up a record setting performance by the Aussie against Joey Beltran at UFC on FUEL 4 in which Te Huna anded 71 significant strikes in the first round.

Speaking of win streaks, Te Huna will be facing a guy with one of the longest active win streaks in the sport when he fights Teixeira, who is fresh off a unanimous decision victory of his own over Quinton “Rampage” Jackson at UFC on FOX 6, his eighteenth in a row.

A win for either man will (probably) establish them as the next, next challenger to the light heavyweight title, so who do you think will come out of this one on top, Potato Nation?

–J. Jones

Ryan Bader out 6 to 8 Weeks with Knee Injury, Targets Summer Return

It’s fair to say Ryan Bader was very excited about his chance to stop the hype around light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira at UFC 160, but a training injury derailed his plans. Bader was forced out of his scheduled bout against Teixeira this wee…

It’s fair to say Ryan Bader was very excited about his chance to stop the hype around light heavyweight contender Glover Teixeira at UFC 160, but a training injury derailed his plans.

Bader was forced out of his scheduled bout against Teixeira this week after suffering a knee injury that puts him on the sidelines for several weeks.

The former Ultimate Fighter winner was struggling with his knee after a workout, and when the pain didn’t subside, he ended up having an MRI to see what was going on. The result was an injury to his MCL (medial collateral ligament), according to his manager David Martin of the Martin Advisory Group, who spoke with Bleacher Report on Monday evening.

Following the results of the MRI, doctors advised Bader to stay out of any kind of activity for the next six to eight weeks to allow the knee to heal.

The timeline given to Bader suggests a tear in his MCL, but surgery is rarely recommended or required for an injury to that part of the knee. Doctors typically recommend immobilization of the knee followed by wearing a knee brace while the MCL continues to heal. 

According to Bader’s manager, the injury putting him out for the next six to eight weeks was just too much to allow him to try to take a fight scheduled at UFC 160, which takes place on May 25.

Bader was returning to action after a blistering performance in January where he submitted veteran fighter Vladimir Matyushenko in just 50 seconds at UFC on Fox 6 in Chicago. That put Bader’s record at 3-1 over his past four fights, with his lone loss coming to former UFC light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida last August at UFC on Fox 4.

For now, Bader will sit and let his knee heal to prevent any further damage being done so he can return at full health later this year.

Bader’s manager noted that his return could be targeted for a mid- to late summer timeline depending on when the UFC could and would be able to schedule him again.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

James Te Huna Replaces Ryan Bader, Faces Glover Teixeira at UFC 160

An injury has forced former The Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader out of his scheduled showdown against rising star Glover Teixeira at UFC 160, and in his place steps heavy-handed New Zealander James Te Huna. Te Huna accepts the fight with just over t…

An injury has forced former The Ultimate Fighter winner Ryan Bader out of his scheduled showdown against rising star Glover Teixeira at UFC 160, and in his place steps heavy-handed New Zealander James Te Huna.

Te Huna accepts the fight with just over two months to go until the May 25 card going down at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

UFC officials announced the new matchup on Monday evening.

Training out of Australia by way of New Zealand, James Te Huna now joins his friend and countryman Mark Hunt on the UFC 160 show after he also accepted a late-notice bout against Junior dos Santos on the same card.

Te Huna comes to UFC 160 with a four-fight win streak and an overall record of 5-1 in the UFC, with his only loss coming to current top ranked light heavyweight contender Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 127 in 2011.

Since that time, Te Huna has roared back with four victories, including two by knockout. In his last two fights, Te Huna took out the ultra-tough Joey Beltran and then staged a comeback after almost succumbing to an early head kick courtesy of Ryan Jimmo to win at UFC on Fuel 7 in England in February.

Now Te Huna has his biggest opportunity since joining the UFC. He faces one of the fastest rising stars in the promotion in Brazilian Glover Teixeira.

Teixiera comes into the fight on an incredible 18-fight win streak, with three of those coming in the UFC.  Most recently, Teixeira dispatched former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in a featured bout at UFC on Fox 6 in late January.

A longtime training partner and friend of UFC legend and Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell, Teixeira has been viewed as a serious title contender since day one in the UFC. He’ll look to continue that charge when he faces Te Huna in May.

The bout between Teixeira and Te Huna is expected to occupy a slot on the main card for UFC 160, which is headlined by UFC heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez against top contender Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Does Mark Hunt Stand a Chance Against Junior Dos Santos at UFC 160?

The rallying can cease for the time being. Mark Hunt has earned his spot against Junior dos Santos at UFC 160. That is step one. The next step is winning the fight, but does Hunt (with a career record of 9-7) actually have a chance at the upset?Not a b…

The rallying can cease for the time being. Mark Hunt has earned his spot against Junior dos Santos at UFC 160. That is step one.

The next step is winning the fight, but does Hunt (with a career record of 9-7) actually have a chance at the upset?

Not a big one, no.

Many will instantly repeat the go-to lines of, “anything can happen with four-ounce gloves” and “he has a puncher’s chance.” Both statements are true, but they do not accurately break down Hunt’s chance against JDS in the co-main event.

Hunt is a K-1 World Champion, but that gives out a preconceived notion about his striking. As Bleacher Report’s Jack Slack pointed out in his breakdown of Hunt’s striking, “He lacked a lot of polish in K-1 even after improving his technique.”

Hunt is going to have a lot of problems against dos Santos.

The former UFC heavyweight champion loves to stand and trade leather and will probably test the waters against Hunt as well. However, if he does want to take the fight to the mat and go for a submission, he can submit Hunt with relative ease. We may finally get to see some of his jiu-jitsu on display in this fight.

On the feet, JDS also will prove to be a difficult out for Hunt.

Stefan Struve’s striking is nowhere on the level of dos Santos. JDS proved that by the first-round knockout when those two met in 2009. Struve has an all-around problem in his striking defense. That gives quality strikers like Hunt plenty of opportunities to level the tallest fighter in the UFC.

JDS will not give those same opportunities to Hunt. The former champion will not give him those chances early in the fight.

Slack’s post-fight analysis of the Hunt-Struve fight shows you, in detail, why Hunt caught Struve, and it can give you an idea of why he is not likely to catch dos Santos.

Dos Santos’ boxing is much more proficient than Struve’s. He utilizes much better footwork and head movement. Where Struve stood still when throwing his jab, dos Santos will not.

When Hunt tries to counterattack, JDS will simply not cover up and give him openings to the body and behind his arms.

This is a good matchup for dos Santos. He can keep the fight standing if he chooses or take this fight to the ground. So, when does Hunt’s chance to upset dos Santos come?

It can come late.

For all of dos Santos’ skills and abilities, he has shown a habit of tiring later in the fight. Part of the issue is his high output of punishment in the early rounds, and anyone who can absorb his blows will be able to be around in the third. Hunt can definitely take the blows.

When fighters begin to tire, their defenses start to show holes. That is where one well-placed punch can rock the former champion and end the fight.

Hunt’s chances to win are bleak.

It is accurate to say Hunt has a “puncher’s chance,” but that will not be in the opening minutes of the fight. Hunt will have to wait until dos Santos slows and shows some openings late in the fight. If Hunt can hang around until then, he has a small window of opportunity to shock the MMA world and become the top contender for the UFC Heavyweight Championship.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

UFC 160: 5 Reasons UFC Fans Are Pumped for Mark Hunt vs. Junior Dos Santos

The UFC 160 fight card just got a whole lot stronger with the addition of two of the hardest-hitting heavyweights in the world as Mark Hunt will square off against former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel H…

The UFC 160 fight card just got a whole lot stronger with the addition of two of the hardest-hitting heavyweights in the world as Mark Hunt will square off against former UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

According to MMAFighting.com’s Ariel Helwani, the fight was put together on Thursday evening and officially announced on Saturday morning.

Dos Santos vs. Hunt will take place on May 25th’s UFC 160 fight card, replacing what was originally a bout between dos Santos and former Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem. A groin injury caused Overeem to be physically unable to fight, clearing the path for Hunt in what might be the biggest opportunity of his MMA career. 

Fans are pumped for this fight and rightfully so. Here are five of the biggest reasons fans are looking forward to dos Santos vs. Hunt. 

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Mark Hunt vs. Junior Dos Santos Official for UFC 160 in May

The legion of Mark Hunt supporters will be happy to hear their hero will face Junior dos Santos at UFC 160 after all. It only took a day-and-a-half for UFC president Dana White to turn around from saying Santos would sit out and wait for a summer showd…

The legion of Mark Hunt supporters will be happy to hear their hero will face Junior dos Santos at UFC 160 after all.

It only took a day-and-a-half for UFC president Dana White to turn around from saying Santos would sit out and wait for a summer showdown with Alistair Overeem to eventually offering the shot to Hunt instead.

Hunt has accepted and now gets his shot at facing the former UFC heavyweight champion in May.  The news was first confirmed by MMAFighting.com, and UFC officials then announced the bout on Saturday.

Earlier this week, former K-1 Grand Prix champion Overeem suffered a partial tear in his quadriceps muscle that forced him out of his long awaited bout against Santos at UFC 160.

Immediately, Hunt and a growing support system on Twitter rallied for the “Super Samoan” to get the crack at Santos instead.

At the time, White said that after an initial conversation with Hunt he actually opted to turn down the fight.  In reality it appears negotiations took a dramatic turn after a brief phone conversation between Hunt and White late Thursday evening, and now the fight is official.

Following an initial loss to Sean McCorkle in his UFC debut, Hunt comes into the UFC 160 fight against Santos on a four-fight winning streak, currently the longest in the heavyweight division.

A former K-1 Grand Prix champion as well, Hunt brings an iron jaw and concrete fists into the bout against Santos.  On his four fight win streak, Hunt has knocked out or TKO’d three of those opponents including his jaw shattering victory over Stefan Struve earlier this month at UFC on Fuel 8 in Japan.

Now Hunt gets the biggest opportunity of his career when he faces Santos at UFC 160 in a bout that could very well determine the next contender to fight for the UFC heavyweight title.

 

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com