Tag: UFC 164

UFC 164 Fight Card Extended Video Preview

The UFC is set to finish an action packed month of MMA with a bang when the promotion heads to Milwaukee for UFC 164.  
The Aug. 31 card will be held at the BMO Harris Bradley Center and feature one of the biggest rematches in the history of the l…

The UFC is set to finish an action packed month of MMA with a bang when the promotion heads to Milwaukee for UFC 164.  

The Aug. 31 card will be held at the BMO Harris Bradley Center and feature one of the biggest rematches in the history of the lightweight division as UFC champion Benson Henderson looks to avenge his WEC 53 title fight loss to hometown hero Anthony “Showtime” Pettis.

Get an extended look at the event in the video embedded above.

The Milwaukee native famously took the WEC crown from Henderson in the promotion’s final event in December 2010. Living up to his moniker, Pettis emphatically ended the fifth round by landing an off-the-cage kick—which fans have dubbed the “Showtime Kick”—in order to seal the decision win.

Since the loss, Henderson has comeback in a huge way, going a perfect 7-0 with the UFC en route to becoming the defending lightweight champion.

While an early loss to Clay Guida was a brief setback for Pettis in his debut with the UFC, Showtime has gone 3-0 since, with back-to-back Knockout of the Night winning performances against Donald Cerrone and Joe Lauzon in his most recent two victories.

In the night’s co-main event, former UFC heavyweight champ Frank Mir will look to end a two-fight losing streak as he welcomes the legendary Josh Barnett back to the Octagon.

 

Check out the full UFC 164 fight card below:

Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis

Frank Mir vs. Josh Barnett

Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida

Ben Rothwell vs. Brandon Vera

Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier

Jamie Varner vs. Gleison Tibau

Louis Gaudinot vs. Tim Elliott

Pascal Krauss vs. Hyun Gyu Lim

Chico Camus vs. Kyung Ho Kang

Soa Palelei vs. Nikita Krylov

Ryan Couture vs. Al Iaquinta

Jared Hamman vs. Magnus Cedenblad

 

Be sure to like Matt on Facebook and follow @MattchidaMMA.

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Louis Gaudinot Might Become No. 1 Contender with Win at UFC 164

The UFC flyweight division is looking for a new challenger to face champion Demetrious Johnson, and UFC 164 fighter Louis Gaudinot might be the man for the job.
Gaudinot currently only has one win in the UFC at 125 pounds, but it’s an impressive victor…

The UFC flyweight division is looking for a new challenger to face champion Demetrious Johnson, and UFC 164 fighter Louis Gaudinot might be the man for the job.

Gaudinot currently only has one win in the UFC at 125 pounds, but it’s an impressive victory over John Lineker, who has since won his last three fights in a row.

His next matchup comes at UFC 164 against Tim Elliott in a pivotal fight that could propel Gaudinot directly into title contention.

“Hopefully after this one it can get me a No. 1 contender’s match, or something like that,” Gaudinot told Bleacher Report recently. “Like I said, it’s wide open, I’m looking to break into the top three or four.”

Gaudinot might just do better than the top three or four with a win because, during a recent exchange with Johnson on Twitter, it appeared the champion was ready to welcome him to a title fight should he get past Elliott.

“I’ll be waiting,” Johnson said when responding to Gaudinot‘s challenge.

In the interview, Gaudinot also explained how his feud with fellow flyweight Ian McCall started and how it escalated to the point where they are both chomping at the bit for a fight.

The green-haired flyweight also gave his theories on what it takes for the 125-pound division to truly take off.

Check out this exclusive one-on-one interview with Louis Gaudinot ahead of his upcoming fight at UFC 164 in Milwaukee.

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UFC 164 Fight Card: Yoel Romero Now Meets Brian Houston, Not Derek Brunson

Yoel Romero has a new opponent on the UFC 164 fight card.
According to MMAJunkie.com, Romero’s originally scheduled opponent, Derek Brunson, has been injured. Replacing the Strikeforce veteran will be UFC newcomer Brian Houston.
This is the second time…

Yoel Romero has a new opponent on the UFC 164 fight card.

According to MMAJunkie.com, Romero’s originally scheduled opponent, Derek Brunson, has been injured. Replacing the Strikeforce veteran will be UFC newcomer Brian Houston.

This is the second time in a row Brunson has had a fight scrapped. In June, Brunson‘s anticipated UFC on Fuel TV 10 opponent Ronny Markes was injured in a car accident, causing the matchup to be cancelled. Brunson has not competed since winning in his December UFC debut against Chris Leben.

Houston is unproven with a 4-0 record. However, the Nebraskan has picked up three straight knockout wins in the first round.

Romero will be a tough test for the 26-year-old prospect. An American Top Team product, Romero has only lost to former Strikeforce champion Rafael Cavalcante in six career bouts. Most recently, Romero picked up his first UFC win with a flying knee against Clifford Starks.

If Houston can steal Romero’s momentum with what would likely be considered a major upset win at UFC 164, Houston could become one of the hottest prospects in the middleweight class.

Scheduled to be held on Aug. 31, UFC 164 will be hosted by Milwaukee’s BMO Harris Bradley Center. With Houston replacing Brunson, the event’s fight card now looks like this:

 

Main Card 

  • Benson Henderson vs. Anthony Pettis
  • Frank Mir vs. Josh Barnett
  • Chad Mendes vs. Clay Guida
  • Ben Rothwell vs. Brandon Vera
  • Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier

Fox Sports 1 Prelims

  • Jamie Varner vs. Gleison Tibau
  • Louis Gaudinot vs. Tim Elliott
  • Pascal Krauss vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
  • Chico Camus vs. Kyung Ho Kang
  • Yoel Romero vs. Brian Houston

Facebook Prelims

  • Soa Palelei vs. Nikita Krylov
  • Ryan Couture vs. Al Iaquinta
  • Jared Hamman vs. Magnus Cedenblad

 

Sean Smith is a Featured MMA Columnist for Bleacher Report who has also had work promoted on UFC.com and TheMMACorner.com. Follow on Twitter @SeanSmithMMA. 

 

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MMA Contenders and Pretenders That Will Be Revealed in August

August is a stacked month for the UFC.
Things kick off on Saturday night with UFC 163. The main event features Jose Aldo defending his featherweight title against Chan Sung Jung, “The Korean Zombie.”
However, that is only the beginning, with three more…

August is a stacked month for the UFC.

Things kick off on Saturday night with UFC 163. The main event features Jose Aldo defending his featherweight title against Chan Sung Jung, “The Korean Zombie.”

However, that is only the beginning, with three more events in the month.

The highlight is the first event on Fox Sports 1. Chael Sonnen and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua will square off in a light heavyweight tilt in Boston boasting an undercard stacked with competitive and compelling fights.

UFC Fight Night 27 and UFC 164 close out the month. The title pictures will be rearranged: some fighters will emerge as new contenders while others will fall out of the discussion as they show themselves to be mere pretenders.

These are those men, and women, for the month of August.

Begin Slideshow

Michael Chandler: Benson Henderson Beats Anthony Pettis 9 out of 10 Times

Michael Chandler is not only the Bellator lightweight champion, but he might just be the best 155-pound fighter currently not competing in the UFC.
Chandler has been a force of nature lately running through every opponent he faces in the Bellator cage,…

Michael Chandler is not only the Bellator lightweight champion, but he might just be the best 155-pound fighter currently not competing in the UFC.

Chandler has been a force of nature lately running through every opponent he faces in the Bellator cage, which has made many believe he could do much the same if he ever took on the best of the best in the Octagon.

Fresh off a win of his own at Bellator 97 where he bulldozed Dave Rickels via first-round knockout, Chandler sat down with Fight! Magazine to give his thoughts on the upcoming title fight at UFC 164 between Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis.

“I’d go with Ben Henderson nine times out of 10,” Chandler said. “He’s bigger, he’s more complete. Pettis has a phenomenal striking game, absolutely phenomenal striking game, but if he doesn’t knock you out I don’t see how he’s going to beat Ben Henderson.”

With the odds that Chandler is giving, it would seem Henderson is the lock to win, considering in their first fight back in 2010 it was Pettis that came out on top.

Chandler does give a little more insight into the matchup, including Pettis’ work with his good friend and former wrestling teammate at the University of Missouri and now Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren.

Check out Chandler giving his breakdown of the fight as he analyzes the main event at UFC 164 and who will be left standing with the lightweight title when the dust settles.

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UFC 164: How Anthony Pettis Can Become Champion

UFC 164 is looking like a pretty good card.
Josh Barnett is back where he belongs and in a bout with Frank Mir, there’s a featherweight mini-tournament that could provide the same sort of fun the welterweight version did at UFC 158 and the curious carn…

UFC 164 is looking like a pretty good card.

Josh Barnett is back where he belongs and in a bout with Frank Mir, there’s a featherweight mini-tournament that could provide the same sort of fun the welterweight version did at UFC 158 and the curious carnival sideshow of Ben Rothwell battling Brandon Vera is smack in the middle of it all.

Yup, pretty good card indeed.

And it’s headlined by one of the most highly-anticipated rematches the lightweight division could ever offer—former WEC champions Benson Henderson and Anthony Pettis square off for the UFC title.

It’s already been noted what Henderson has to do to stay champion against Pettis, but what does Pettis have to do if he wants to wrest the belt from the champ?

One of these might help, I guess. But barring that, there are other avenues to take.

No question, he’s the better striker. And that goes beyond the ability to spring off the cage like a monkey and land flying kicks.

He’s more technical, more powerful, quicker and more willing to commit to strikes. When Pettis lands, he hurts guys. You don’t see him throwing together long combos, because he rarely needs to; he finishes guys on first and second strikes all the time.

This is where his bread and butter will be against the ultra-durable champion, a guy who has gotten to the top of the heap by being decent at everything and always a little better than the last time you saw him.

His striking, in particular, has improved, as his kicking technique has developed to go along with his growing comfort as a boxer. He still lacks power, but he makes up for it in gameness.

Still, when push comes to shove, Pettis will win a fight on the feet. It could be close if he can’t stop Henderson (which has proven to be a real task, in fact), but he’ll still win there.

If the champion tries to brawl with him, he’ll get hit a lot, and it will hurt a lot. If he tries to nibble away at the edges without ever going for a big bite, he’ll open himself up to the big shots Pettis has shown against guys like Joe Lauzon and Donald Cerrone.

The main ghost in the machine of a Pettis success is Henderson’s wrestling and grappling. He can take Pettis down, and you’d have to think he will if he sees the chance to.

Pettis is comfortable fighting off of his back and, like any guy who wears the Roufusport stamp, is actually wildly underappreciated there. But judges don’t give you rounds for threatening with triangles and the occasional good hip escape.

Sprawl and brawl is the ticket if it’s possible or space and scrambles if the fight ends up on the ground. Anything else is a black hole against someone as good at winning rounds as Henderson is.

The formula for Anthony Pettis to become the UFC lightweight champion in his hometown is simple: keep Benson Henderson off of him, and make him pay for every inch he gives up.

If he does that, he’ll be the new king at 155.

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