Tag: UFC 162

How Would an Anderson Silva Loss to Chris Weidman Affect the UFC?

UFC president Dana White reminds the media quite often that despite Anderson Silva’s extraordinary success, “The Spider” doesn’t represent the company’s most prolific pay-per-view draw.According to White, that distinction belongs to Georges St-Pie…

UFC president Dana White reminds the media quite often that despite Anderson Silva‘s extraordinary success, “The Spider” doesn’t represent the company’s most prolific pay-per-view draw.

According to White, that distinction belongs to Georges St-Pierre, the longtime welterweight champ who fought in the co-main event of UFC 100, a monumental bout in 2009 that set a record for pay-per-view buys (1.6 million).

But just because St-Pierre’s the organization’s crown jewel doesn’t mean that White doesn’t have a vested interest in seeing Silva get past underdog Chris Weidman at UFC 162.

After all, which superfights would the UFC look to arrange in 2014 if Weidman, deemed a 2.5-to-1 underdog (+215) by Bovada.com against Silva (-275), would happen to upset the longtime middleweight champ at UFC 162?

White has talked for years about facilitating a bout between St-Pierre and Silva, but the diabolical company president seems even more intrigued by a possible bout between Silva and the company’s most dominant light heavyweight champ of all time, Jon Jones.

Following Jones’ win over Chael Sonnen at UFC 159, White made an ambiguous remark about a phone conversation he had with Silva that revolved around a potential superfight, assumingly with Jones. 

Less than a month later, White told CBS Atlanta that a Silva vs. Jones superfight could be on the horizon but only if The Spider dispatches of “The All-American” on July 6. 

Silva has a fight coming up on July 6, (and) he’s fighting Chris Weidman. Many people think this is a very serious threat to his record and his title and everything else. But if he gets past this test with Weidman, we could see this superfight (with Jones) this year.

Many experts believe Weidman, a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler, possesses the variables needed to dethrone Silva, who will amazingly aim to defend his belt for the 11th straight time.

If he does happen to pull off the unthinkable, the 29-year-old Weidman would unquestionably squash the notion of a Silva vs. St-Pierre or a Silva vs. Jones superfight for good.

For Weidman, conversely, the Serra-Longo fight team product has already boldly explained his intentions to not only upset the 38-year-old pound-for-pound king but to then grant him a rematch.

During an interview with Bleacher Report’s Trent Reinsmith at the UFC 158 post-fight press scrum, White offered these sentiments regarding Weidman‘s confidence in playing spoiler: 

I spoke to Chris Weidman. He looked me right in the eye and said, ‘I’m telling you, I apologize, but I’m going to f**k up all your superfights, but I’m going to win this fight. I’m going to f**k up all your superfights and be your next champion.

Granted, it’d be just a small consolation prize in comparison to a superfight between Silva and Jones. But White and the UFC’s brass would likely have no choice but to give The Spider a rematch if he suffered his first loss in the UFC to a fighter with just nine pro bouts.

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UFC 162: Mark Munoz’s Drive Back to Title Contention Starts with Tim Boetsch

In the fight game, getting knocked down is an occupational hazard every athlete faces. Nevertheless, some setbacks can require a fighter to dig down deeper in order not only to regain footing, but also to battle back to a position once held. For M…

In the fight game, getting knocked down is an occupational hazard every athlete faces. Nevertheless, some setbacks can require a fighter to dig down deeper in order not only to regain footing, but also to battle back to a position once held. 

For Mark Munoz, a series of injuries and a loss to current No. 1 contender Chris Weidman threatened to push the 31-year-old Californian into obscurity in the middleweight division. Fortunately for Munoz, resilience and a positive mindset are intangibles he carries in large supply, and the former contender has set out on a quest to regain his position in the 185-pound division’s upper tier.

Throughout his year-long layoff, the former NCAA D-I national champion wrestler stuck to a rigorous regiment to get his body back to form and prepared himself mentally for the climb back. Now, with a clean bill of health and his focused locked on his upcoming battle with Tim Boetsch at UFC 162, the “Filipino Wrecking Machine” is ready to put the middleweight division on notice.

It hasn’t been an easy road, but Munoz found the best of himself along the way.

“I’ve learned a lot about myself this year, and I believe this is an updated version of myself going into this fight,” Munoz told Bleacher Report. “When I had my elbow injury, I tried to rush my comeback, and I had to learn a bunch through that setback. This is chapter two. I’ve had to learn a lot in chapter one.

“In chapter one, I rushed back into things and started grinding, even with an injury I was unaware of. I didn’t realize my foot was broken going into the fight with Weidman. Having that year-long layoff, I had to take a different perspective about training and to make sure everything is planned out in my personal life as well. I have to think about my family, my gym and the other things in my life before I think about myself. 

“I’m usually a positive person when it comes to many things in my life. But at the same time, I kind of went through a bit of depression in the layoff. I went through kind of a low time.

“After having to pull out of the Chael Sonnen fight and seeing that he went on to be the No. 1 contender, I rushed back into things. Then the way I lost against Weidman and finding out after that I would be out for a year because of a broken foot was the straw that broke the camel’s back. I kind of went into a low after that fight. 

“I’m usually a positive person about many things, but after being out for a year, and having only one fight in the year before that, I started to wonder how I was going to provide for my family. I didn’t know how I was going to operate my gym if I didn’t have money coming in.

“But even with everything that happened, I battled through. Now the gym is in the black. I have some community things that are providing residual income. I’m more intentional with my kids and more thoughtful towards my wife, and everything is great.

“But it feels like I had to go through what I went through this past year to realize what I was doing wrong,” he added. “And I’m glad I went through those things to be able to realize that. Even through bad times, you can find positives to take from the experience. Over this time, I’ve learned a lot about myself, and you just move forward from there.”

Prior to the setback against Weidman last July, Munoz was tearing his way through the middleweight division. The Team Reign leader had put together a four-fight winning streak and found success in seven of his past eight outings. That success put the former Oklahoma State wrestling standout within striking distance of a title shot. 

While the loss at UFC on Fuel TV 4 pushed him down the ladder, the current state of the middleweight division has left the perfect setting for Munoz to make a strong move upward at UFC 162.

“I’ve been keeping track of our division, and there are a lot of guys who have fallen off and guys who were emerging that ended up falling off as well,” Munoz said. “I’m pretty thankful for how the division is looking because I am still in the top 10 leading up to this comeback. I thought I was going to fall off for sure after the loss and the long layoff.

“That was one of the biggest factors in why I went through a depression. In my mind I was like, ‘Man, I worked so hard to get where I’m at, and now I’m going to fall out of the top 10, maybe even out of the top 20.’ But it’s pretty awesome to see how everything works out.”

Where Munoz is determined to regain contender status in the division, he’ll have to best a fighter who is looking to claim the same position in Boetsch. Since dropping down into 185-pound waters, “The Barbarian” has won four of his five outings as a middleweight and had built solid momentum before coming up short to Costa Philippou at UFC 155.

With both fighters eager to stay in the title hunt and the loser of the bout being pushed out for the foreseeable future, there is going to be plenty on the line in Las Vegas. Stylistically speaking, there are a lot of similarities between the two fighters, and Munoz is excited to get back to work.

“We both go after our opponents and both pack a punch,” Munoz said about the matchup. “We are both really strong. The thing about Boetsch, he’s really strategic. He has a great camp behind him with Matt Hume in Seattle, and they definitely go through their game plan when they are preparing. I know he is going to come with a strategy, and I try to look at where he would beat me if I were looking from his perspective. 

“I’m looking to go after him. I’m definitely going to test his conditioning. I’m going to test his wrestling and jiu-jitsu as well. I’m looking forward to this fight, man. He’s an awesome opponent for me to get back into the title hunt. 

“My striking and transitions have improved, and I’m going to bring the ground-and-pound, which I always love to do. Fans are going to see sharp transitions,” Munoz added. “I’ve been working on them for the past four months and putting in the work to become a well-rounded mixed martial artist. This fight is going to be fireworks. Don’t blink.”

 

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.

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UFC 162 Preview: Chris Weidman vs. Tom Lawlor Full Fight Video

The UFC will not present its next fight card until July 6. A middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and No. 1 ranked challenger Chris Weidman will headline that event, UFC 162. Weidman is undefeated as a professional, going 9-0 since …

The UFC will not present its next fight card until July 6. A middleweight title fight between champion Anderson Silva and No. 1 ranked challenger Chris Weidman will headline that event, UFC 162.

Weidman is undefeated as a professional, going 9-0 since making his debut with Ring of Combat in February 2009.  Of those nine bouts, six have ended before the expiration of regulation time. Weidman, an All-American wrestler and brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, has three submissions and three knockouts to his name.

Weidman’s UFC record is 5-0 with two decisions, two submissions and one knockout.  His last submission came at UFC 139, where he used a d’arce choke to turn the lights off on Tom Lawlor. 

Entering UFC 139, Weidman was 6-0 overall and 2-0 in the UFC. Weidman’s two previous UFC bouts were as an injury replacement.

His first, a unanimous decision win over Alessio Sakara, came on 11 days notice and saw Weidman entering the Octagon with a broken rib.

His second bout with the promotion was as a replacement for an injured Court McGee. In that fight, Weidman earned “Submission of the Night” honors with a guillotine choke win over Jesse Bongfeldt.

By the time Weidman met Lawlor, he had established a set pattern in his approach to opening his fights, a pattern he also utilized against Lawlor. Weidman’s approach is to utilize strikes to set up takedowns and then transition to side control where he patiently waits for an opening to utilize his submission skills.

This blueprint has been very successful for Weidman, as the attached video and his perfect record can attest.

The question now is will Weidman present a new look when he meets Silva at the MGM Grand on July 6, or will he rely on the skills that earned him a title shot?  

How Weidman answers that question may determine if he has a shot at upsetting Silva or becoming another statistic in the record setting run of the middleweight champ.

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Roger Gracie: ‘Chris Weidman Can Submit Any World-Class Grappler, Even Me’

Roger Gracie is one of the most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world, but even he would have his work cut out for him against Chris Weidman.As a 10-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and two-time ADCC gold medalist, Gracie’s…

Roger Gracie is one of the most accomplished Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioners in the world, but even he would have his work cut out for him against Chris Weidman.

As a 10-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion and two-time ADCC gold medalist, Gracie’s opinion is highly respected and valued in the MMA community, which is why his most recent comments regarding Weidman managed to steal headlines Sunday.

During an interview with Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com, he was asked to give a prediction on the upcoming UFC middleweight title bout between Weidman and Anderson Silva. Despite siding with the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world, Gracie was admittedly blown away by Weidman‘s grappling skills:

I think [Weidman] is very, very dangerous. His grappling is at a very high level. He can submit any world-class grappler. I think he’s really that good. He can tap anyone, even me. It’s just a matter of if he can put Anderson in those situations. I would still put my money on Anderson but I think Chris Weidman is dangerous and can surprise him.

Skeptics are bountiful leading up to the championship showdown at UFC 162.

Fans have generally been reluctant to seek greener pastures on the Weidman bandwagon; however, this doesn’t appear to be the case with most pros. World-class fighters like Gracie have continuously come forward and delivered gushing diatribes regarding Weidman‘s astonishing skills.

During a media scrum for UFC 161, UFC President Dana White revealed that every pro fighter he has spoken to believes Weidman will be the man to finally dethrone Silva.

Are they all wrong?

Silva has achieved every accolade possible in his UFC career and will likely go down as the greatest fighter in MMA history. Meanwhile, Weidman is still a fresh face in the sport.

There is something to be said about such a young fighter generating this much hype from his peers. Whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, we can all pretty much agree on one thing.

July 6 cannot get here soon enough.

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UFC 162 Preview: B.J. Penn vs. Frankie Edgar Full Fight Video

Frankie Edgar has had a lot of UFC title fights. In fact, of his last seven fights with the UFC, all have been title bouts. In those contests, Edgar has a record of 3-3-1. When he steps into the Octagon at UFC 162 to face Charles Oliveira, it will be t…

Frankie Edgar has had a lot of UFC title fights. In fact, of his last seven fights with the UFC, all have been title bouts. In those contests, Edgar has a record of 3-3-1. When he steps into the Octagon at UFC 162 to face Charles Oliveira, it will be the first time Edgar has not fought for a UFC title since April 10, 2010, the date he ended the reign of UFC lightweight champion B.J. Penn.

Edgar entered his UFC 112 bout against Penn riding a three-fight winning streak. Two of those three fights earned Edgar “Fight of the Night” bonus awards.

The oddsmakers looked at Edgar’s winning streak and record of 13-1 and said, ah, ain’t that cute, and made him a 450-point underdog to the 700-point favorite B.J. Penn. After all, Penn was (and still is) looked at as the greatest lightweight champion in UFC history.

Twenty-five minutes after the bout began, Penn’s reign had come to an end, as Edgar took home the unanimous decision (50-48, 48-47, 49-46) victory.

The FightMetric stats show that bout, at least on paper, was very evenly matched. Edgar landed 63 of 234 total strikes, while Penn landed 72 of 263 total strikes. Edgar was aggressive with his wrestling, attempting 13 takedowns over the course of the fight and having success on one of those attempts.

It should be noted that the takedown Edgar was successful on was the first time Penn had been taken to the mat as a lightweight since Takanori Gomi earned two takedowns against Penn at Rumble on the Rock 4 in October 2003.

What doesn’t show up on the stat sheet is the movement and feints Edgar used throughout the fight, throwing Penn off his rhythm and creating an elusive target. That movement could have been the difference, possibly convincing the judges that Edgar was in control of the bout.

Since defeating Penn, Edgar has gone 2-3-1, with one of those wins being a rematch with Penn. Edgar is currently riding a three-fight losing streak, and he’ll be facing significant pressure when he faces Oliveira, who is ranked outside the top 10 in the featherweight division, on July 6 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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UFC 162 Preview: Power Ranking Chris Weidman’s 9 Professional MMA Fights

On July 6, Chris Weidman will attempt what 10 other middleweight fighters before him have failed to accomplish—unseat the reigning UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.Silva has held UFC gold since defeating Rich Franklin via TKO at UFC 64. …

On July 6, Chris Weidman will attempt what 10 other middleweight fighters before him have failed to accomplish—unseat the reigning UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva.

Silva has held UFC gold since defeating Rich Franklin via TKO at UFC 64. Yup, almost 100 pay-per-view cards have passed since Silva defeated Franklin.  Oh, and something else: Silva has never lost in the UFC. Silva is currently 16 fights into a run that began with a 49-second knockout of Chris Leben in June, 2006.

Weidman is a solid wrestler with a brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and many people, including UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre, believe that Weidman has the skill set to defeat Silva. 

In preparation for the upcoming bout between Silva and Weidman at UFC 162, I went back and watched each of Weidman‘s professional MMA bouts, ranking Weidman‘s performance in each contest.

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